Need another word that means the same as “unfortunate”? Find 25 synonyms and 30 related words for “unfortunate” in this overview.
Table Of Contents:
- Unfortunate as a Noun
- Definitions of "Unfortunate" as a noun
- Synonyms of "Unfortunate" as a noun (1 Word)
- Usage Examples of "Unfortunate" as a noun
- Unfortunate as an Adjective
- Definitions of "Unfortunate" as an adjective
- Synonyms of "Unfortunate" as an adjective (24 Words)
- Usage Examples of "Unfortunate" as an adjective
- Associations of "Unfortunate" (30 Words)
The synonyms of “Unfortunate” are: inauspicious, unlucky, hapless, out of luck, down on one's luck, luckless, wretched, miserable, forlorn, unhappy, poor, pitiful, adverse, disadvantageous, unfavourable, untoward, unwelcome, regrettable, inappropriate, unsuitable, inapt, infelicitous, tactless, injudicious, unfortunate person
Unfortunate as a Noun
Definitions of "Unfortunate" as a noun
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unfortunate” as a noun can have the following definitions:
- A person who suffers bad fortune.
- A person who suffers misfortune.
- A person who is considered immoral or lacking in religious faith or instruction, especially a prostitute.
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Synonyms of "Unfortunate" as a noun (1 Word)
unfortunate person | A person who suffers misfortune. |
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Usage Examples of "Unfortunate" as a noun
- Those unfortunates whose lives are marred by poverty.
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Unfortunate as an Adjective
Definitions of "Unfortunate" as an adjective
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “unfortunate” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
- Having or marked by bad fortune; unlucky.
- Not auspicious; boding ill.
- Regrettable or inappropriate.
- Unsuitable or regrettable.
- Not indicating a good chance of success; inauspicious.
- Not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune.
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Synonyms of "Unfortunate" as an adjective (24 Words)
adverse | Preventing success or development; harmful; unfavourable. Taxes are having an adverse effect on production. |
disadvantageous | Involving or creating unfavourable circumstances that reduce the chances of success or effectiveness. A disadvantageous outcome. |
down on one's luck | Understood perfectly. |
forlorn | Marked by or showing hopelessness. The last forlorn attempt. |
hapless | Deserving or inciting pity. A hapless victim. |
inappropriate | Not suitable for a particular occasion etc. Completely inappropriate behavior. |
inapt | Not suitable or appropriate in the circumstances. A more inapt name I cannot imagine. |
inauspicious | Contrary to your interests or welfare. Following this inauspicious start the British outnumbered withdrew. |
infelicitous | Unfortunate; inappropriate. An infelicitous remark. |
injudicious | Showing very poor judgement; unwise. I took a few injudicious swigs of potent cider. |
luckless | Having or bringing misfortune. An osprey seized the luckless fish with its talons. |
miserable | Very unhappy; full of misery. You miserable old creep. |
out of luck | Out of power; especially having been unsuccessful in an election. |
pitiful | Deserving or inciting pity. Pitiful exhibition of cowardice. |
poor | Deserving or inciting pity. The jejune diets of the very poor. |
regrettable | (of conduct or an event) giving rise to regret; undesirable; unwelcome. It s regrettable that she didn t go to college. |
tactless | Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others. It was tactless to bring up those disagreeable. |
unfavourable | Not favorable. Single mothers are often the target of unfavourable press attention. |
unhappy | Not happy. An unhappy coincidence. |
unlucky | Having, bringing, or resulting from bad luck. An unlucky defeat. |
unsuitable | Not fitting or appropriate. The display is unsuitable for young children. |
untoward | Unexpected and inappropriate or inconvenient. Both tried to behave as if nothing untoward had happened. |
unwelcome | (of a guest or new arrival) not gladly received. Unwelcome attentions from men. |
wretched | Of very poor quality or condition. The wretched conditions of the slums. |
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Usage Examples of "Unfortunate" as an adjective
- His unfortunate remark silenced the gathering.
- An unfortunate speech.
- An unfortunate choice of words.
- Unfortunate investments.
- An unfortunate night for all concerned.
- An unfortunate decision.
- An unfortunate turn of events.
- The delay at the airport was an unfortunate start to our holiday.
- There'd been an unfortunate accident.
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Associations of "Unfortunate" (30 Words)
bereft | Unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love. Bereft of hope. |
calamitous | (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin. Such calamitous events as fires hurricanes and floods. |
defeated | People who are defeated. She looked defeated quite unlike her normal self. |
disadvantaged | Marked by deprivation especially of the necessities of life or healthful environmental influences. We began to help the disadvantaged. |
disastrous | Having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin. The battle was a disastrous end to a disastrous campaign. |
fateful | Having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin. A fateful oversight. |
foreboding | A feeling that something bad will happen; fearful apprehension. When the Doctor spoke his voice was dark and foreboding. |
frustrating | Discouraging by hindering. It can be very frustrating to find that the size you want isn t there. |
hapless | Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. A hapless victim. |
inauspicious | Presaging ill fortune- P.B.Shelley. My words with inauspicious thunderings shook heaven. |
infelicitous | Marked by or producing unhappiness. The infelicitous typesetting was due to illegible copy. |
misadventure | An unfortunate incident; a mishap. The petty misdemeanours and misadventures of childhood. |
mischance | An instance of misfortune. By pure mischance the secret was revealed. |
miserable | Causing unhappiness or discomfort. Almost depleted his miserable store of dried beans. |
mournful | Expressing sorrow. Stared with mournful eyes. |
ominous | Presaging ill fortune. There were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead. |
pathetic | Miserably inadequate; of very low standard. The shabby room struck her as extraordinarily pathetic. |
piteous | Deserving or inciting pity. Piteous appeals for help. |
pitiable | Contemptibly poor or small. The men were in a pitiable condition. |
pitiful | Deserving or inciting pity. A pitiful fate. |
premonition | An early warning about a future event. He had a premonition of imminent disaster. |
presentiment | An intuitive feeling about the future, especially one of foreboding. A presentiment of disaster. |
tragic | Suffering extreme distress or sorrow. A tragic accident. |
underprivileged | Lacking the rights and advantages of other members of society. The plight of the underprivileged. |
unfulfilled | Of persons; marked by failure to realize full potentialities. I was restless and unfulfilled. |
unhappy | Causing discomfort. After the argument they lapsed into an unhappy silence. |
unlucky | Marked by or promising bad fortune- W.H.Prescott. The visitors were unlucky to have a goal disallowed. |
unpropitious | (of a circumstance) not giving or indicating a good chance of success; unfavourable. His reports were submitted at a financially unpropitious time. |
unsuccessful | Not successful. An unsuccessful attempt to enter Parliament. |
wretched | Deserving or inciting pity- Galsworthy. Spent a wretched night on the floor. |
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