misfortune

misfortune — noun

1. an unpleasant event or situation that happens because of bad luck rather than an

1.nounB2
Definition

an unpleasant event or situation that happens because of bad luck rather than anyone's fault, or the general state of experiencing such bad luck

Example

After losing her job, Élise faced one misfortune after another and nearly gave up.

one misfortune after another — repeated bad luck

The old fisherman blamed his misfortune on the storm that destroyed his boat.

blame misfortune on — attributing the cause

Common collocations
  • suffer misfortune
  • experience misfortune
  • meet with misfortune
  • a stroke of misfortune
  • have the misfortune to
  • a series of misfortunes
  • one misfortune after another
  • great misfortune
  • blame misfortune on
  • a string of misfortunes
Synonyms
  • bad luck

    more common in everyday speech; only refers to the state, not a specific event

  • adversity

    more formal, suggesting long-term hardship that tests one's character rather than a single event

  • hardship

    focuses on the difficulty or suffering caused by a situation, not on the role of chance

  • calamity

    much stronger; describes a major disaster causing widespread suffering

Antonyms
  • good luck

    direct opposite, used in everyday contexts

  • fortune

    positive counterpart; both state and event senses

  • blessing

    an event that brings good, contrasting with misfortune's negative event sense

Grammar Patterns

have the misfortune to + infinitive

it is/was someone's misfortune that + clause

suffer / experience / meet with misfortune

a series of / one misfortune after another

Usage Note

Uncountable when referring to bad luck in general ('they have known great misfortune'); countable when referring to a specific unlucky event ('she told me about her many misfortunes'). Often follows the fixed phrase 'have the misfortune to + infinitive' for describing unlucky timing.

Common Mistakes

I had a misfortune to lose my wallet.
I had the misfortune to lose my wallet.
'have the misfortune to' is a fixed expression that always takes 'the', not 'a'.
She has suffered many misfortune in her life.
She has suffered many misfortunes in her life.
As a countable noun, 'misfortune' takes the plural form when referring to multiple unlucky events.
The accident was a bad misfortune.
The accident was a misfortune.
'Misfortune' already means bad luck, so adding 'bad' is redundant.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Misfortune is the most general word for an unlucky event or state, fitting both everyday and formal contexts. Bad luck is simpler and more common in conversation, but refers only to the state — you cannot call a single event 'a bad luck.' Adversity is more formal and suggests ongoing hardship that tests character, such as growing up in poverty; it is rarely used for a one-time accident. Hardship focuses on the difficulty or suffering rather than chance — losing a job is a misfortune that leads to financial hardship. Calamity describes a major disaster like an earthquake or flood that causes widespread damage, and is far stronger than misfortune. For example: 'Missing the bus was a minor misfortune, but the family endured years of adversity after the factory closed, living in real hardship.'

bad luckadversity ↗hardship ↗calamity

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a stroke of misfortune
  • a series of misfortunes
  • one misfortune after another

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchLatinEnglish

Misfortune comes from Old French 'misfortune', combining the prefix 'mis-' (meaning bad or wrong) with 'fortune' (meaning luck or chance). The prefix 'mis-' has been used in English since Old English times to form negative meanings. 'Fortune' traces back through French to Latin 'fortuna', the Roman goddess of luck and chance, whose name became the ordinary word for luck or prosperity.