Misfortune: meaning, definitions and examples

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misfortune

[ mɪsˈfɔː.tʃuːn ]

^{Context #1}

bad luck

Misfortune refers to bad luck or unfortunate events that happen to someone.

Synonyms

bad luck, hardship, unfortunate events

Examples of usage

She has experienced a lot of misfortune in her life.
It was just a stroke of misfortune that caused the accident.

^{Context #2}

tragic events

Misfortune can also refer to tragic events or calamities that befall someone.

Synonyms

adversity, calamity, tragedy

Examples of usage

The family has been struck by misfortune after misfortune.
The misfortune of losing a loved one is hard to bear.

Translations

Translations of the word "misfortune" in other languages:

🇵🇹 infortúnio

🇮🇳 दुर्भाग्य

🇩🇪 Unglück

🇮🇩 kemalangan

🇺🇦 нещастя

🇵🇱 nieszczęście

🇯🇵 不幸 (ふこう)

🇫🇷 malheur

🇪🇸 desgracia

🇹🇷 felaket

🇰🇷 불행

🇸🇦 سوء حظ

🇨🇿 neštěstí

🇸🇰 nešťastie

🇨🇳 不幸 (bùxìng)

🇸🇮 nesreča

🇮🇸 ógæfa

🇰🇿 сәтсіздік

🇬🇪 უბედურება

🇦🇿 bədbəxtlik

🇲🇽 desgracia

Word origin

The word 'misfortune' originated from the combination of 'mis-' meaning bad or wrong, and 'fortune' meaning chance or luck. It has been used in the English language since the late 14th century to describe bad luck or unfortunate events.

See also: fortunate, fortunately, misfortunes.