ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
an unfortunate chain of events destroyed the business
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfortunate
Both of his Melbourne shows at Margaret Court Arena were sold out, making the phone-throwing incident all the more unfortunate for the concertgoers who had come out for a memorable night of country music.
—
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Two rounds of unfortunate renovations have destroyed many of that building’s formal innovations.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The interviews themselves are informative, but unobtrusive, and the while intimate footage of Frazier and Reynolds’ personal lives paints a slightly wider picture of their circumstances, their moods in the aftermath of their unfortunate digital breakthroughs is kept largely at an arm’s length.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
That is human nature; and now with conflict in the Middle East there will be companies that see this unfortunate development as yet another reason to jack up prices.
—Jerry Haar, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Two rounds of unfortunate renovations have destroyed many of that building’s formal innovations.
—Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2026
The interviews themselves are informative, but unobtrusive, and the while intimate footage of Frazier and Reynolds’ personal lives paints a slightly wider picture of their circumstances, their moods in the aftermath of their unfortunate digital breakthroughs is kept largely at an arm’s length.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
That is human nature; and now with conflict in the Middle East there will be companies that see this unfortunate development as yet another reason to jack up prices.
—Jerry Haar, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unfortunate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfortunate
Adjective
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So had Florida not decided to tweak its offense to emphasize paint touches, dwindling the bricks its guards had regularly tossed through the first two disastrous months, this could have been a historic season.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
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Part of the rush to take up flags may be the disastrous economy in Britain.—
Simon Constable,
FOXNews.com,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But there are so many other parts of Nigeria, unhappy in their union, who would also want that privilege.—
Obi Anyadike,
semafor.com,
23 Mar. 2026
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The matter then came before the Board of Supervisors, which was caught between a sea of unhappy constituents and the possibility of a costly legal battle if the plan was not approved.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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OpenAI is battling more than a dozen different death and harm suits, including one centered on a tragic murder-suicide allegedly spurred by ChatGPT reinforcing an unstable man’s paranoid delusions.—
Maggie Harrison Dupré,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
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The major hubs are bad in all the predictable ways, but America’s smaller airports are each cursed and tragic in their own exquisite style.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The House of Representatives has twice passed such a bill with a handful of Democrats signing on, but in the Senate, Democrats have held up the bill over demands for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reforms after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in January.—
Arden Farhi,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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The collision was the first fatal crash at Laguardia Airport in 34 years.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The line between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah is more blurred than ever after the latter’s catastrophic performance in the 2023-2024 war with Israel.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
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The catastrophic 1969 offshore oil spill in Santa Barbara killed thousands of sea birds and marine mammals.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunate. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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