Wiktionary

unfortunate

English

edit

Etymology

edit

From un- +‎ fortunate.

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

unfortunate (comparative more unfortunate, superlative most unfortunate)

  1. Not favored by fortune.
    Synonym: unsuccessful
    Antonym: fortunate
  2. Marked or accompanied by or resulting in misfortune.
    Synonym: unlucky
    Antonyms: fortunate, lucky
    • 1933, Henry Sturmey, H. Walter Staner, The Autocar:
      But as the tower and towee reached the cross-roads again, another car, negligently driven, came round the corner, hit the Morris, and severed the tow rope, sending the unfortunate car back again into the shop window […]

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit

See also

edit

Noun

edit

unfortunate (plural unfortunates)

  1. An unlucky person; one who has fallen into bad circumstances.
    • 1960 February, “Talking of Trains: Moretonhampstead - a p.s.”, in Trains Illustrated, page 73:
      Of those adults who used the trains every day, about half now travel daily by bus, [...] one unfortunate is reported to be walking to and from his employment.
    • 2026 June 24, Lucy Mangan, “Poop Cruise review – a fascinating look at a toilet disaster that still haunts passengers 12 years later”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      Unlike the unfortunates aboard the Triumph, we viewers are in and out of the situation in under an hour and feel like we have had quite a lot of fun in the process.
  2. (archaic, euphemistic) A prostitute.

Translations

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=unfortunate&oldid=85441812"