unlucky

English

Etymology

From un- +‎ lucky.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈlʌki/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• 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, 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
• unluckier
• unluckiest
• unlucky for some

Translations

unfortunate

• Afrikaans: ongelukkig
• Bulgarian: нещастен (bg) (neštasten)
• Catalan: desafortunat (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 唔好彩 (m⁴ hou² coi²)

• Danish: unheldig
• Finnish: epäonninen (fi)
• German: unglücklich (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: δυστυχής (dustukhḗs)

• Italian: sfortunato (it)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بار کەوتوو (bar kewtû)

• Latin: infēlix
• Macedonian: не́среќен (nésreḱen)
• Maori: wairuatoa, whakarapa, ringahoea (In love and romance)
• Norwegian: unheldig
• Occitan: desfortunat (oc), malastrugat
• Old English: unġesǣliġ
• Ottoman Turkish: اوغورسز (uğursuz), بختسز (bahtsız), قوتسز (kutsuz)
• Plautdietsch: onjlekjlich
• Portuguese: azarado (pt) m
• 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)
• Latin: infelix
• Macedonian: неблагопри́јатен (neblagopríjaten), зло́кобен (zlókoben)
• Ottoman Turkish: اوغورسز (uğursuz), بختسز (bahtsız), قوتسز (kutsuz)
• Russian: неблагоприя́тный (ru) (neblagoprijátnyj), (ominous) злове́щий (ru) (zlovéščij)

having ill luck

• Armenian: ձախորդ (hy) (jaxord)
• Bulgarian: неудачен (bg) (neudačen)
• Catalan: infortunat
• Finnish: epäonninen (fi), huono-onninen
• French: malchanceux (fr) m, poissard (fr) m
• Irish: anrathach
• Latin: infēlix
• Macedonian: не́среќен (nésreḱen)
• Russian: невезу́чий (ru) (nevezúčij), неуда́чливый (ru) (neudáčlivyj)
• Yiddish: שלימזלניק (shlimazldik)

bringing ill luck

• Finnish: epäonninen (fi)
• German: unglückbringend; usually expressed verbally: es bringt Unglück
• Irish: anrathach
• Latin: infēlix
• Macedonian: ко́бен (kóben)
• Ottoman Turkish: اوغورسز (uğursuz), بختسز (bahtsız), قوتسز (kutsuz)
• Russian: несчастли́вый (ru) (nesčastlívyj), недо́брый (ru) (nedóbryj)

References

• “unlucky”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.