unfortunate

CEFRB1

/ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Unlucky or causing sadness and problems.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Marked or accompanied by or resulting in misfortune.

Examples

  • Due to a number of unfortunate causes, one-parent families are on the increase.

  • He was unfortunate to lose in the final round.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings
  1. Regrettable or unsuitable.

  2. Not favored by fortune.

noun

Extra meaning
  1. An unlucky person; one who has fallen into bad circumstances.

More examples

In context
  • There was an unfortunate incident at home.

  • Thus ended the life of one of the most unfortunate of small railway concerns.

  • But as the tower and towee reached the cross-roads again, another car, negligently driven, came round the corner, hit the Morris, and severed the tow rope, sending the unfortunate car back again into the shop window[…]

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

It was really blank that she missed the bus and arrived late for the interview.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From un- + fortunate, doublet of infortunate.