English edit

Etymology edit

From mis- +‎ fortune.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

misfortune (countable and uncountable, plural misfortunes)

  1. (uncountable) Bad luck.
    The worst tour I have ever had the misfortune to experience.
    • 2012 July 15, Richard Williams, “Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track”, in in Guardian Unlimited[1]:
      Cycling's complex etiquette contains an unwritten rule that riders in contention for a race win should not be penalised for sheer misfortune.
    • 1876, Ulysses S. Grant, Annual Message:
      It was my fortune, or misfortune, to be called to the office of Chief Executive without any previous political training.
  2. (countable) An undesirable event such as an accident.
    She had to come to terms with a number of misfortunes.
    • 1839, Charles Robert Darwin, “Chapter X”, in The Voyage of the Beagle:
      The snowstorm, which was the cause of their misfortune, happened in the middle of January, corresponding to our July, and in the latitude of Durham!

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