jinxed
jinxed — adjective
1. If a person, object, or situation is jinxed, it seems to be under a spell of con
If a person, object, or situation is jinxed, it seems to be under a spell of continuous bad luck — things keep going wrong through no clear logical cause, as if an invisible force is working against it.
The team felt their season was jinxed after their star player broke his leg and the bus broke down on the same day.
Nadia believes her grandmother's old mirror is jinxed because every person who has owned it lost their job within a month.
believe [something] is jinxed — belief that an object brings bad luck
Every time Viktor takes the same train route, there is a delay or a missed connection — he jokes that the line is jinxed.
After three weddings in the family were cancelled for different reasons, relatives whispered that the family was jinxed.
Emeka refused to sleep in the hotel room because the previous guest had left in an ambulance, calling the place jinxed.
- cursed
stronger and more formal; 'cursed' suggests a deliberate spell or supernatural punishment, while 'jinxed' is lighter and often used jokingly
- unlucky
broader and more neutral; 'unlucky' describes chance misfortune with no implication of a continuing supernatural influence
- hexed
more specific to folk magic; 'hexed' implies a magical curse placed intentionally, while 'jinxed' can just mean chronically unlucky
用法筆記
Often used informally or humorously. The subject is typically a person, team, object, place, or situation affected by a string of misfortunes. Frequently appears in the pattern 'seems/is jinxed' or 'feels jinxed.'
常見錯誤
jinxed — noun
1. A jinx is a person or thing that people believe causes bad luck, either because
A jinx is a person or thing that people believe causes bad luck, either because misfortune keeps happening around them or because their presence seems to make things go wrong.
Whenever Hassan joins a card game, everyone else starts losing — his friends call him a jinx.
call [someone] a jinx — informal label for someone who brings bad luck
The old red car was considered a jinx in the neighbourhood because three different owners had serious accidents while driving it.
Dan stopped going to the stadium because the home team had lost every match he had watched live, and fans started calling him the team's jinx.
Ibrahim was only half joking when he told the office that the new coffee machine was a jinx — it broke down every Monday morning without fail.
Some athletes carry a lucky charm to protect themselves from any jinx before a big competition.
- curse
more serious and supernatural; 'curse' implies a spell cast intentionally, while 'jinx' can be playful or superstitious without deliberate magic
- hoodoo
informal and less common; 'hoodoo' is used mainly in American English for a person who brings bad luck, similar to 'jinx' but rarer
- Jonah
literary reference to the biblical figure who brought misfortune to a ship; used for a person whose presence is thought to cause disaster
用法筆記
Commonly used in informal speech. The noun 'jinx' is countable ('a jinx,' 'the jinx'). Often appears in the phrase 'consider/call someone a jinx.' Also used as a playful exclamation when two people say the same thing at the same time ('Jinx!').
常見錯誤
jinxed — verb
1. To jinx someone or something means to cause bad luck to fall on them, usually by
To jinx someone or something means to cause bad luck to fall on them, usually by talking about a positive outcome too soon, by performing a specific action, or simply by being present when things go wrong.
Liam refused to say anything about his interview results because he was afraid he might jinx his chances by bragging too early.
jinx [something] by [doing something] — superstitious belief that actions cause bad luck
The coach told the reporters not to mention the winning streak so they would not jinx the team before the final match.
Xin held her breath and did not congratulate her sister until after the exam results were posted, not wanting to jinx her.
Keiko managed to design a perfect prototype, but dropping it on the lab floor on the first morning seemed to jinx the entire project from the start.
The director warned the cast not to say the play's name aloud in the theatre, a traditional superstition that saying it would jinx the show.
- curse
stronger and more formal; 'curse' implies a deliberate magical act, while 'jinx' is lighter and often accidental
- hex
specifically refers to casting a magic spell; 'hex' is intentional and supernatural, 'jinx' can be unintentional and playful
- doom
more literary and severe; 'doom' means to cause certain failure or destruction, a much stronger word than 'jinx'
用法筆記
The verb is most commonly used with an object ('jinx someone/something'). Frequently appears with 'by + gerund' to explain what action caused the bad luck. Also common in the construction 'not want to jinx it' as a fixed expression.