Definition

Adjective: - Marked by or promising bad fortune; destined to end badly or to fail: Describes a person, plan, event, or endeavor that seems destined for misfortune, disaster, or an unhappy outcome from the beginning.

Usage

The adjective "ill-fated" is used attributively (before a noun) to describe something that is, or was, destined to end in misfortune. It implies a sense of inevitability about the negative outcome. It is a formal and literary term.

Examples

• The explorers set out on their ill-fated expedition across the desert.
• She regretted her ill-fated decision to invest all her savings in that company.
• The ill-fated ship sank on its maiden voyage.
• His ill-fated attempt to climb the mountain alone ended in a rescue operation.

Advanced Usage

• "to be ill-fated": This phrase can be used predictively (after a linking verb like 'was' or 'proved').
  • Their alliance was ill-fated from the very beginning.
  • The project proved ill-fated due to a lack of funding.

Variants and Related Words

• Ill-starred (adjective): Having an unlucky destiny; synonymous with "ill-fated." (e.g., )
• Doomed (adjective): Likely to have an unfortunate or disastrous outcome. (e.g., )
• Unlucky (adjective): Having, bringing, or resulting from bad luck. (Less formal and less emphatic about destiny than "ill-fated.")
• Hapless (adjective): (Especially of a person) unfortunate. (e.g., )

Synonyms

• Doomed
• Unlucky
• Ill-starred
• Jinxed
• Cursed
• Hapless
• Unfortunate

Antonyms

• Fortunate
• Lucky
• Blessed
• Auspicious
• Propitious

Idioms and Phrases

• "Ill-fated" itself often functions within descriptive phrases rather than as part of a larger idiomatic structure. However, it is conceptually related to idioms about bad luck or destiny, such as:
  • "Star-crossed": Ill-fated by the influence of the stars; destined for misfortune (often used for lovers, as in "star-crossed lovers").
  • "Born under a bad star": Destined to be unlucky.

Adjective

1. marked by or promising bad fortune
   • their business venture was doomed from the start
   • an ill-fated business venture
   • an ill-starred romance
   • the unlucky prisoner was again put in irons- W.H.Prescott