I. un ‧ for ‧ tu ‧ nate 1 S3 /ʌnˈfɔːtʃ ə nət $ -ˈfɔːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ fortune , ↑ misfortune , ↑ unfortunate ; adverb : ↑ fortunately ≠ ↑ unfortunately ; adjective : ↑ fortunate ≠ ↑ unfortunate ]
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 is one that you wish was different:
an unfortunate turn of events
He has an unfortunate habit of repeating himself.
it is unfortunate (that)
It’s unfortunate that so few people seem willing to help.
It’s most unfortunate (=very unfortunate) that your father can’t come to the wedding.
3 . happening because of bad luck:
an unfortunate accident
4 . formal unfortunate behaviour, remarks etc make people feel embarrassed or offended:
an unfortunate choice of words
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ unlucky having bad luck, or causing bad luck:
Matthews played well and was unlucky not to score.
|
Thirteen is an unlucky number.
|
We were unlucky with the weather. It rained almost every day.
▪ unfortunate unlucky because something bad happens to you that you do not deserve. Unfortunate sounds rather formal and is used mainly in writing:
He was very unfortunate to lose his job just after his wife had a baby.
|
the unfortunate victims of crime
▪ be/bring bad luck if something is bad luck or brings bad luck, it is believed to make bad things happen:
It’s supposed to be bad luck to walk under a ladder.
|
Crows were thought to bring bad luck.
▪ jinxed if something is jinxed, it seems to bring bad luck to everyone who is connected with it. If a person is jinxed, a lot of bad things happen to them and they seem very unlucky:
I’m beginning to think this house is jinxed.
|
Some people believed the family was jinxed.
II. unfortunate 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ fortune , ↑ misfortune , ↑ unfortunate ; adverb : ↑ fortunately ≠ ↑ unfortunately ; adjective : ↑ fortunate ≠ ↑ unfortunate ]
literary someone who has no money, home, job etc