unlucky

unlucky

English

Etymology

From un- +‎ lucky.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈlʌki/
• Rhymes: -ʌki

Adjective

unlucky (comparative unluckier or more unlucky, superlative unluckiest or most unlucky)

1. Unfortunate, marked by misfortune.
   • 1603, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies, London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, Act V, scene ii, page 338:

     I pray you in your Letters, / When you ſhall theſe vnluckie deeds relate, / Speake of me, as I am. […] / Of one, whoſe ſubdu'd Eyes, / Albeit un-vsed to the melting moode, / Drops teares as faſt as the Arabian Trees / Their Medicinable gumme.

2. Inauspicious.
3. Having ill luck.
4. Bringing ill luck.

Derived terms

• unluckily
• unluckiness

Translations

unfortunate

Afrikaans: ongelukkig Catalan: desafortunat (ca) Chinese: Cantonese: 唔好彩 (m4 hou2 coi2) Danish: unheldig Finnish: epäonninen German: unglücklich (de) Greek: Ancient: δυστυχής (dustukhḗs) Italian: sfortunato (it)

Kurdish: Sorani: بار که‌وتوو‎ (ku) (bar kewtu) Latin: infēlix Maori: wairuatoa, whakarapa Norwegian: unheldig Romanian: nenorocos (ro) m Russian: неуда́чный (ru) (neudáčnyj), неуда́чливый (ru) (neudáčlivyj), несчастли́вый (ru) (nesčastlívyj) Spanish: desafortunado (es) Vietnamese: xui xẻo (vi), xui (vi), rủi ro (vi), rủi (vi), không may, bất hạnh (vi)

inauspicious

Catalan: malaurat (ca) Finnish: pahaenteinen (fi)

Russian: неблагоприя́тный (ru) (neblagoprijátnyj), (ominous) злове́щий (ru) (zlovéščij)

having ill luck

Armenian: ձախորդ (hy) (jaxord) Catalan: infortunat Finnish: epäonninen, huono-onninen Irish: anrathach

Latin: infēlix Russian: невезу́чий (ru) (nevezúčij), неуда́чливый (ru) (neudáčlivyj) Yiddish: שלימזלניק‎ (shlimazldik)

bringing ill luck

Finnish: epäonninen Irish: anrathach

Latin: infēlix Russian: несчастли́вый (ru) (nesčastlívyj), недо́брый (ru) (nedóbryj)

References

• unlucky in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.