unlucky
Cursed by chance
Unlucky describes someone or something that experiences or brings bad fortune.
An unlucky person suffers misfortune beyond their control: He's been unlucky in love.
An unlucky choice or decision turns out badly: It was unlucky timing.
Thirteen is considered an unlucky number.
The word implies chance rather than fault—unlucky outcomes aren't deserved, just unfortunate.
Afflicted with misfortune
- cursedUnder a malevolent spell
- hexedPlaced under curse
- ill-fatedDestined to fail
- star-crossedDoomed by destiny
doomed · accursed · bewitched · snakebit · hoodoo · evil eye · black cat · thirteen
Deserving of pity
- ill-starredFated to fail
- haplessLacking good fortune
- poorLacking sufficient resources
- wretchedExtremely unhappy or unfortunate
pitiable · bad break · raw deal · mishap · setback · accident · calamity · disaster
Lacking good fortune
- helplessUnable to act independently
- unfortunateDeserving of pity
- suffererOne who endures hardship
- loserDefeated competitor
underdog · fall guy · scapegoat · patsy · down-and-out · disadvantaged · vulnerable · powerless
Portending misfortune ahead
- inauspiciousShowing poor prospects
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- portentSign of future calamity
- harbingerOne who foreshadows
bad sign · warning · premonition · ominous · dark cloud · augury · foreshadowing · presage
Likelihood expressed numerically
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
- gambleStake on uncertain outcome
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
- rouletteSpinning wheel wager
dice · randomness · fluke · coincidence · risk · draw · long shot · losing streak
jinxed
Afflicted with misfortune
star-crossed · doomed · accursed · bewitched · snakebit · hoodoo · evil eye · black cat · thirteen · Friday
unfortunate
Deserving of pity
- ill-starredFated to fail
- haplessLacking good fortune
- poorLacking sufficient resources
wretched · pitiable · bad break · raw deal · mishap · setback · accident · calamity · disaster · tragedy
hapless
Lacking good fortune
- helplessUnable to act independently
- unfortunateDeserving of pity
- suffererOne who endures hardship
loser · underdog · fall guy · scapegoat · patsy · down-and-out · disadvantaged · vulnerable · powerless · pitiable
ill-omened
Portending misfortune ahead
- inauspiciousShowing poor prospects
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- portentSign of future calamity
harbinger · bad sign · warning · premonition · ominous · dark cloud · augury · foreshadowing · presage · prophecy
odds
Likelihood expressed numerically
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
- gambleStake on uncertain outcome
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
roulette · dice · randomness · fluke · coincidence · risk · draw · long shot · losing streak · bad bet
- U-wordsugly, ultimate, ultra, umbrella, unable
- unfortunatesvictims, unfortunate, wretch, poor soul, lost soul
- fortunefortune, fate, destiny, jinxed, chance
- fatedestiny, fate, kismet, Moira, fated
- clumsy peopleklutz, clumsy, bumbling, butterfingers, bungler
- inferiorinferior, substandard, second-rate, second-class, subpar
unluckyauspicious
Indicating future success
propitious · favorable · favourable · promising · encouraging
- unlucky numbersDigits considered ill-omened
- unlucky thirteenSupposedly cursed numeral
- unlucky streakExtended period of misfortune
- unlucky for somePhrase for thirteen