unfortunate

unfortunate — adjective

IPA/ʌnˈfɔːtʃənət/
KK[ənfˈɔrtʃənət]IPA/ʌnˈfɔːrtʃənət/
  • unfortunatepositive
  • more unfortunatecomparative
  • most unfortunatesuperlative

1. Connected with bad luck — either because a person experiences it, or because an

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

Connected with bad luck — either because a person experiences it, or because an event produces harm or difficulty.

Example

Élise was unfortunate to lose her job just before her father fell ill.

unfortunate + to-infinitive for a person's bad luck

The team suffered an unfortunate defeat in the final match of the season.

Common collocations
  • unfortunate accident
  • unfortunate loss
  • unfortunate mistake
  • unfortunate timing
  • unfortunate series of events
  • unfortunate situation
Synonyms
  • unlucky

    more direct and common in everyday speech; less formal than unfortunate

  • ill-fated

    more dramatic and literary, often used for doomed plans or journeys

  • disastrous

    stronger — results in serious harm or destruction, not just bad luck

Antonyms
  • fortunate

    the direct opposite — experiencing good luck

  • lucky

    more informal and everyday

  • happy

    describes a positive outcome, not applicable to neutral events

Grammar Patterns

unfortunate + noun

be unfortunate + to-infinitive

be unfortunate + that-clause

Usage Note

Often used before a noun (attributive) to describe events or outcomes: an unfortunate accident, an unfortunate loss. Can also follow a linking verb: She was unfortunate to miss the train.

Common Mistakes

I was unfortunate to win the lottery.
I was unfortunate to lose my wallet.
Unfortunate describes bad luck, not good luck.

2. If a comment or action is described this way, it creates awkwardness or makes pe

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

If a comment or action is described this way, it creates awkwardness or makes people feel insulted because it does not fit the social situation.

Example

The minister made an unfortunate remark about the cost of living that upset many voters.

make + an unfortunate remark about [topic]

Owen realised his unfortunate joke had offended several people at the dinner table.

Common collocations
  • unfortunate remark
  • unfortunate comment
  • unfortunate choice of words
  • unfortunate joke
  • unfortunate choice
Synonyms
  • inappropriate

    more direct; focuses on the mismatch with the situation

  • regrettable

    milder and more diplomatic, often used in formal apologies

  • ill-advised

    warns against the action; suggests poor judgment

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

unfortunate + noun (remark, comment, choice)

be unfortunate + to-infinitive

find something unfortunate

Usage Note

The adjective describes the remark or behaviour itself, not the speaker's intention — someone may make an unfortunate comment without meaning to offend. Common in formal criticism or apologies.

Common Mistakes

His unfortunate shirt was the wrong colour.
His unfortunate comment upset his colleagues.
Sense 2 applies to speech or behaviour, not to objects or clothing.

unfortunate — noun

IPA/ʌnˈfɔː.tʃən.ət/
KK[ənfˈɔrtʃənət]IPA/ʌnˈfɔːr.tʃən.ət/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a lack of good luck, but they differ in register and connotation. Unlucky is the most common and neutral term — a person can be unlucky in a card game or unlucky to miss a bus. Unfortunate is slightly more formal and is also used for events (an unfortunate accident), not just people. Ill-fated is more dramatic and literary, often suggesting an outcome was doomed from the start, as in an ill-fated expedition. Hapless is almost exclusively literary or humorous, describing someone who seems perpetually unlucky and powerless, such as a hapless character in a comedy. In everyday conversation, unlucky is preferred; unfortunate fits written reports and polite complaints; ill-fated and hapless belong in stories or dramatic descriptions.

unlucky ↗unfortunate ↗ill-fated ↗hapless ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • unfortunate situation
  • unfortunate incident
  • unfortunate event
  • unfortunate circumstances
  • unfortunate outcome

Adverbs

  • deeply unfortunate
  • most unfortunate
  • particularly unfortunate
  • truly unfortunate

Phrases

  • a run of unfortunate events
  • in an unfortunate turn of events
  • an unfortunate state of affairs

Prepositions

  • unfortunate for
  • unfortunate in

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'fortuna', meaning 'chance, luck, fate' — Fortuna was also the Roman goddess of luck. The prefix 'un-' was added in English to reverse the meaning. The word developed from describing a lack of good fortune in general to its modern social sense of 'inappropriate' by the 1800s.