MISFORTUNE


Meaning of MISFORTUNE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˌmis-ˈfȯr-chən ]

noun

Date: 15th century

1.

a. : an event or conjunction of events that causes an unfortunate or distressing result : bad luck

by misfortune he fell into bad company

had the misfortune to break his leg

b. : an unhappy situation

always ready to help people in misfortune

2. : a distressing or unfortunate incident or event

misfortune s never come singly

Synonyms:

misfortune , mischance , adversity , mishap mean adverse fortune or an instance of this. misfortune may apply to either the incident or conjunction of events that is the cause of an unhappy change of fortune or to the ensuing state of distress

never lost hope even in the depths of misfortune

mischance applies especially to a situation involving no more than slight inconvenience or minor annoyance

took the wrong road by mischance

adversity applies to a state of grave or persistent misfortune

had never experienced great adversity

mishap applies to an often trivial instance of bad luck

the usual mishaps of a family vacation

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.