ˌən-ˈfȯrch-nət
1
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
an unfortunate chain of events destroyed the business
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2
as in unhappy
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
up to that point in her life she had been unfortunate in love
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3
as in tragic
of a kind to cause great distress
an unfortunate choice of words that would later prove to be embarrassing for the talk show host
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Examples of unfortunate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The game, a 33-17 Dallas win, was pretty much a dog, which is unfortunate.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Sep. 2024
This appears to be an isolated incident on this unfortunate day.
—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 2 Sep. 2024
Elton John has some unfortunate news to share about his health.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2024
Damn, that campaign with Alfie is so unfortunate—talk about bad timing!
—Florence O'Connor, Vogue, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unfortunate 
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 9 Sep. 2024
This appears to be an isolated incident on this unfortunate day.
—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 2 Sep. 2024
Elton John has some unfortunate news to share about his health.
—Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2024
Damn, that campaign with Alfie is so unfortunate—talk about bad timing!
—Florence O'Connor, Vogue, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unfortunate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfortunate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Unfortunate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunate. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
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