bad luck
bad luck — idiom
1. the idea that unpleasant or harmful events happen to a person purely by chance,
the idea that unpleasant or harmful events happen to a person purely by chance, not because of anything they did or failed to do
It was sheer bad luck that Yuki's train got stuck for three hours.
collocation: sheer bad luck
By bad luck, Hassan arrived on the one afternoon the clinic was closed.
collocation: by bad luck
Ingrid blamed bad luck when her laptop died right before the exam.
A stroke of bad luck left the cyclists without a spare tyre in the rain.
Kwame's injury was not bad luck — he had ignored the safety warnings.
- misfortune
more formal; often refers to a serious or lasting hardship, not just a chance event
- rotten luck
informal and expressive; carries a tone of frustration or sympathy
- hard luck
slightly old-fashioned; often used to show sympathy for someone's repeated difficulties
- good luck
the idea that positive events happen by chance, bringing benefit without effort
- good fortune
a more formal equivalent of good luck, often implying lasting prosperity
用法筆記
Often used to explain an unwanted outcome that feels unfair or beyond control. Distinguished from 'misfortune', which can refer to a serious life event rather than everyday chance.