unlucky

IPA/ʌnˈlʌki/
KK[ənlˈʌki]IPA/ʌnˈlʌki/

unlucky — adjective

  • unluckypositive
  • more unluckycomparative
  • most unluckysuperlative

1. suffering from more bad events or losses than most people, often for reasons you

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

suffering from more bad events or losses than most people, often for reasons you cannot control

Example

Adina was unlucky — she lost her wallet, missed the bus, and broke her phone all in one day.

Michael was unlucky enough to catch a bad cold the night before his driving test.

be + unlucky + enough + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • unlucky person
  • unlucky break
  • unlucky streak
  • unlucky guy
  • unlucky victim
Synonyms
  • unfortunate

    more formal and often used for serious or regrettable situations; can sound more sympathetic

  • luckless

    formal or literary; suggests a long-term pattern rather than a single event

  • hapless

    literary; implies helplessness in the face of repeated bad fortune

  • jinxed

    informal; suggests a supernatural cause for the bad luck

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be + unlucky

be + unlucky + to-infinitive

be + unlucky + that + clause

Usage Note

Common with to-infinitive ('unlucky to miss the train') or that-clause ('unlucky that it rained'). The subject is usually a person or group of people. When used before a noun (attributive), 'unlucky' modifies the person affected: 'an unlucky traveller', not the event.

Common Mistakes

This is an unlucky news.
This is unlucky news.
'news' is uncountable; no 'an' needed.
He was unlucky of missing the goal.
He was unlucky to miss the goal.
use the to-infinitive pattern, not 'of + gerund'.

2. believed to bring misfortune or bad outcomes; seen as not giving good results be

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

believed to bring misfortune or bad outcomes; seen as not giving good results because of tradition or superstition

Example

Friday the thirteenth is considered an unlucky day in many Western countries.

considered + unlucky + noun

Some people think the number four is unlucky because it sounds like the word for 'death' in Chinese.

Common collocations
  • unlucky number
  • unlucky day
  • unlucky colour
  • unlucky charm
  • unlucky sign
  • unlucky omen
Synonyms
  • inauspicious

    formal; focuses on signs or omens that predict bad outcomes

  • ominous

    stronger; suggests a threatening or frightening sign of danger

  • sinister

    strong negative connotation; suggests evil intent or harm

  • ill-fated

    literary; describes something destined to end badly from the start

Antonyms
  • lucky

    can apply to objects/events too, e.g. 'lucky number'

  • auspicious

    formal; showing signs of future success

Grammar Patterns

unlucky + noun

be + considered/thought + unlucky

Usage Note

Typically used attributively (before the noun: 'unlucky day', 'unlucky number'). When used predicatively, the subject must be an object, event, or number, not a person: 'That number is unlucky' — but ✗ 'He is unlucky' in this sense would be interpreted as sense 1.

Common Mistakes

She is an unlucky number.
That number is unlucky.
'unlucky' describing a thing/event does not apply to a person.
Walking under a ladder is lucky.
Walking under a ladder is unlucky.
learners sometimes confuse the direction of the superstition.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Unlucky is the most common and neutral term, used in everyday speech for a person who experiences more bad events than usual. Unfortunate is more formal and often implies a serious, regrettable, or sensitive situation; it is frequently used in polite or diplomatic language ('an unfortunate mistake') where 'unlucky' would sound too casual. Luckless is a formal or literary word that emphasises a continuous state of having no good fortune over time, often in storytelling ('the luckless traveller'). Hapless is even more literary and suggests a person who seems helpless and unable to avoid misfortune ('the hapless victim of the scam'). In casual conversation, 'unlucky' is almost always the right choice; the others add a tone of seriousness or storytelling.

unfortunate ↗luckless ↗hapless ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • unlucky in love
  • unlucky at cards
  • born unlucky

Prepositions

Etymology

DutchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Unlucky is formed by adding the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') to 'lucky', which comes from 'luck' — a word borrowed from Middle Dutch 'luc' (short for 'gheluc', meaning happiness or good fortune). The prefix 'un-' has been used in English since Old English times to reverse the meaning of adjectives. The word 'unlucky' first appeared in English in the early 1500s, initially meaning 'unfortunate' and later also taking on the sense of 'bringing bad luck' by the 1600s.