un ‧ luck ‧ y /ʌnˈlʌki/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative unluckier , superlative unluckiest )
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ lucky ≠ ↑ unlucky , ↑ luckless ; noun : ↑ luck ; adverb : ↑ luckily ≠ ↑ unluckily ]
1 . having bad luck ⇨ misfortune
unlucky to do something
Inter Milan were unlucky to lose the match.
unlucky with
We were unlucky with the weather this weekend. It rained constantly.
Thierry Henry was desperately unlucky not to score when his shot hit the post.
2 . causing bad luck:
Some people think black cats are unlucky.
3 . happening as a result of bad luck SYN unfortunate :
an unlucky accident
It was unlucky for Stephen that the boss happened to walk in just at that moment.
—unluckily adverb
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THESAURUS
▪ unlucky having bad luck, or causing bad luck:
Matthews played well and was unlucky not to score.
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Thirteen is an unlucky number.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Some people believed the family was jinxed.