ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
an unfortunate chain of events destroyed the business
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unhappy
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
up to that point in her life she had been unfortunate in love
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
an unfortunate choice of words that would later prove to be embarrassing for the talk show host
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfortunate
And, in something of a perfect storm of unfortunate timing, the Iran war coincides with the recent shuttering of the Phillips 66 Los Angeles refinery and the April closure of Valero Energy’s Benicia refinery near San Francisco.
—
Jordan Blum, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
That’s unfortunate, as a number of important phenomena, from the earliest galaxies to the features of exoplanet atmospheres, are only detectable at infrared wavelengths.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
Dunk’s blemishes against Liverpool were compounded by an unfortunate yellow card for time wasting in the closing stages when referee Darren England decided too long had been taken with Verbruggen over a goal kick.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
An unfortunate bridge can be found on the Instagram page of Calvin’s project, dubbed American Colossus, which has on several occasions spotlighted the sculpture of Nazi favorite Arno Breker.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Jordan Blum, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
That’s unfortunate, as a number of important phenomena, from the earliest galaxies to the features of exoplanet atmospheres, are only detectable at infrared wavelengths.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2026
Dunk’s blemishes against Liverpool were compounded by an unfortunate yellow card for time wasting in the closing stages when referee Darren England decided too long had been taken with Verbruggen over a goal kick.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
An unfortunate bridge can be found on the Instagram page of Calvin’s project, dubbed American Colossus, which has on several occasions spotlighted the sculpture of Nazi favorite Arno Breker.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfortunate
Adjective
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After last year’s disastrous Eaton fire, Southern California Edison executives vowed to be transparent about what caused the inferno that killed at least 19 people and left thousands of families homeless in Altadena.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Sturm then gave Swayman the mercy pull, which frankly could have happened after the disastrous first.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Alex Cora was clearly unhappy towards the end.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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There were thousands of unhappy Stagecoach festivalgoers on Saturday night, as the approximately 75,000-80,000 guests were forced to evacuate due to high winds.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Then something tragic takes place.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In 1999, 81 years after the tragic sinking, the crew members of the Tampa were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shootings of three adults in Baldwin Park last week — two of whom were a married couple, officials said, who were being mourned by their college-age children.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Police have arrested a man on murder and firearm charges in connection with a fatal shooting in Stratford earlier this month.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite heroic acts of survival, 25 girls and two counselors died in the catastrophic flooding, as did camp co-owner Dick Eastland.—
Brian Brant,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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This year, several Western states had very dry to record-dry winters, setting them up for a potentially catastrophic wildfire season.—
Austin Amestoy,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunate. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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