misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər 

: misfortune, mishap

Synonyms of misadventure

• misfortune
• tragedy

Examples of misadventure in a Sentence

His vacation turned into a series of misadventures.

a string of financial misadventures eventually left him broke

Recent Examples on the Web

Troy was the starting point of Odysseus’s calamitous 10-year westward voyage, with many detours and misadventures, to his kingdom of Ithaca. —Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026

Back in the courtyard, Ava wraps up her own romantic misadventure. —Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026

Handing the keys of power to wannabe authoritarians is starting to look deeply unwise in light of Washington’s military and trade misadventures. —Lionel Laurent, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026

Her narration, once heavy-handed, is now pared down, functioning only as thin connective tissue between Rue’s desert misadventures and the rest of the cast’s Los Angeles lives. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mesaventure, from Anglo-French, from mesavenir to turn out badly, from mes- mis- + avenir to happen, from Latin advenire — more at adventure

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing misadventure

• death by misadventure

Rhymes for misadventure

• peradventure
• adventure
• debenture
• indenture
• bencher
• denture
• quencher
• trencher
• venture

Kids Definition

misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmis-əd-ˈven-chər 

: misfortune sense 2

Legal Definition

misadventure

noun

mis·​ad·​ven·​ture ˌmi-səd-ˈven-chər 

: an accident that causes serious injury or death to a person and that does not involve negligence, wrongful purpose, or unlawful conduct