How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. R. W. Holder. 2014.
Unfortunate — Un*for tu*nate, a. Not fortunate; unsuccessful; not prosperous; unlucky; attended with misfortune; unhappy; as, an unfortunate adventure; an unfortunate man; an unfortunate commander; unfortunate business. n. An unfortunate person. Hood. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
unfortunate — (adj.) 1520s, unlucky, from UN (Cf. un ) (1) not + FORTUNATE (Cf. fortunate). Infortunate in same sense is from late 14c. (along with a verb infortune to render unhappy, and a noun meaning bad luck). In late 18c. early 19c., unfortunate woman was … Etymology dictionary
unfortunate — [unfôr′chə nit] adj. 1. a) having bad luck; unlucky b) bringing, or coming by, bad luck; unfavorable 2. not suitable or successful n. an unfortunate person unfortunately adv … English World dictionary
unfortunate — index adverse (negative), deplorable, derelict (abandoned), dire, harmful, inopportune, lamentable … Law dictionary
unfortunate — *unlucky, disastrous, ill starred, ill fated, calamitous, luckless, hapless Analogous words: baleful, malefic, *sinister: *miserable, wretched: unhappy, infelicitous (see UNFIT) Antonyms: fortunate Contrasted words: *lucky, providential, happy … New Dictionary of Synonyms
unfortunate — [adj] unlucky, bad adverse, afflicted, broken, burdened, calamitous, cursed, damaging, deplorable, desperate, destitute, disastrous, doomed, forsaken, hapless, hopeless, ill fated, ill starred, in a bad way*, inappropriate, infelicitous,… … New thesaurus
unfortunate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) having bad fortune; unlucky. 2) regrettable or inappropriate. ► NOUN ▪ a person who suffers bad fortune. DERIVATIVES unfortunately adverb … English terms dictionary
unfortunate — [[t]ʌnfɔ͟ː(r)tʃʊnət[/t]] unfortunates 1) ADJ GRADED If you describe someone as unfortunate, you mean that something unpleasant or unlucky has happened to them. You can also describe the unpleasant things that happen to them as unfortunate. Some… … English dictionary
unfortunate — un|for|tu|nate1 S3 [ʌnˈfo:tʃənət US ˈfo:r ] adj 1.) someone who is unfortunate has something bad happen to them ▪ When we entered the room, the teacher was yelling at some unfortunate student. 2.) an unfortunate situation, condition, quality etc… … Dictionary of contemporary English
unfortunate — 1 adjective 1 happening because of bad luck and often having serious or dangerous results: an unfortunate accident | his unfortunate death at the height of his career 2 an unfortunate situation is one that you wish was different or had never… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
unfortunate — I UK [ʌnˈfɔː(r)tʃ(ə)nət] / US [ʌnˈfɔrtʃənət] adjective ** 1) experiencing bad luck, or caused by bad luck The unfortunate victims of the pension fund fraud are unlikely to get their money back. 2) a) formal if something is unfortunate, you do not … English dictionary
