UNFORTUNATE

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does unfortunate mean? 

• UNFORTUNATE (noun)
  The noun UNFORTUNATE has 1 sense:

1. a person who suffers misfortune

  Familiarity information: UNFORTUNATE used as a noun is very rare.

• UNFORTUNATE (adjective)
  The adjective UNFORTUNATE has 3 senses:

1. not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
2. not auspicious; boding ill
3. unsuitable or regrettable

  Familiarity information: UNFORTUNATE used as an adjective is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UNFORTUNATE (noun)

Meaning:

A person who suffers misfortune

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

unfortunate; unfortunate person

Hypernyms ("unfortunate" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "unfortunate"):

abandoned person (someone for whom hope has been abandoned)

nympholept (a person seized by nympholepsy)

castaway; Ishmael; outcast; pariah (a person who is rejected (from society or home))

have-not; poor person (a person with few or no possessions)

captive; prisoner (a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war)

schlimazel; shlimazel ((Yiddish) a very unlucky or inept person who fails at everything)

diseased person; sick person; sufferer (a person suffering from an illness)

subsister; survivor (one who lives through affliction)

victim (an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance)

griever; lamenter; mourner; sorrower (a person who is feeling grief (as grieving over someone who has died))

maroon (a person who is stranded (as on an island))

amputee (someone who has had a limb removed by amputation)

choker (an unfortunate person who is unable to perform effectively because of nervous tension or agitation)

desperate (a person who is frightened and in need of help)

homeless; homeless person (someone with no housing)

Job (any long-suffering person who withstands affliction without despairing)

jinx; jonah (a person believed to bring bad luck to those around him)

languisher (a person who languishes)

failure; loser; nonstarter; unsuccessful person (a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently)

crier; weeper (a person who weeps)

• UNFORTUNATE (adjective)

Meaning:

Not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune

Context examples:

an unfortunate turn of events / an unfortunate decision / unfortunate investments / an unfortunate night for all concerned

Similar:

regrettable; too bad (deserving regret)

infelicitous; unhappy (marked by or producing unhappiness)

downtrodden (abused or oppressed by people in power)

doomed; ill-fated; ill-omened; ill-starred; unlucky (marked by or promising bad fortune)

hapless; miserable; misfortunate; pathetic; piteous; pitiable; pitiful; poor; wretched (deserving or inciting pity)

dispossessed; homeless; roofless (physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security)

black; calamitous; disastrous; fatal; fateful ((of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin)

abject (most unfortunate or miserable)

Also:

luckless; unlucky (having or bringing misfortune)

underprivileged (lacking the rights and advantages of other members of society)

unsuccessful (not successful; having failed or having an unfavorable outcome)

Antonym:

fortunate (having unexpected good fortune)

Meaning:

Not auspicious; boding ill

Synonyms:

inauspicious; unfortunate

Similar:

unpromising (unlikely to bring about favorable results or enjoyment)

Attribute:

auspiciousness; propitiousness (the favorable quality of strongly indicating a successful result)

Meaning:

Unsuitable or regrettable

Context examples:

an unfortunate choice of words / an unfortunate speech

Similar:

infelicitous (not appropriate in application; defective)