unlucky
/ʌn'lʌki/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Marked by or promising bad fortune: Describing a person, thing, or event that is characterized by or seems destined for misfortune or failure.
- Having or bringing misfortune: Describing something that causes or is associated with bad luck.
Usage
- General Use: Used to describe a person who experiences frequent misfortune or an event/object that is considered to bring bad luck.
- Attributive Use: Often placed before a noun to modify it (e.g., an unlucky day, an unlucky person).
- Predicative Use: Can follow linking verbs like 'be', 'feel', or 'seem' (e.g., He was very unlucky).
Examples
- As an adjective:
- She felt very unlucky to have missed the flight by just one minute.
- It is considered unlucky to walk under a ladder.
- The unlucky team lost their final match in the last seconds.
Advanced Usage
- "unlucky for some": A phrase often used to highlight that something is considered unfortunate, particularly in the context of the number thirteen.
- The number thirteen is traditionally thought to be unlucky for some.
- "unlucky in love": A common collocation describing someone who has repeated failures or disappointments in romantic relationships.
- He always joked that he was just unlucky in love.
Variants and Related Words
- Unluckily (adverb): In an unfortunate manner.
- Unluckily for us, the store had just closed.
- Unluckiness (noun): The state or quality of being unlucky.
- His constant unluckiness was starting to worry his friends.
Synonyms
- Unfortunate: Not favored by fortune; marked by bad luck.
- Ill-fated: Destined for or ending in misfortune.
- Hapless: (Especially of a person) unfortunate.
- Jinxed: Believed to be cursed with bad luck.
Antonyms
- Lucky: Having, bringing, or resulting from good luck.
- Fortunate: Favored by or involving good luck.
- Auspicious: Conducive to success; favorable.
Idioms and Common Phrases
- Down on one's luck: Experiencing a period of misfortune.
- He's been down on his luck since losing his job.
- Out of luck: Having no luck or opportunity in a particular situation.
- If you're looking for tickets, I'm afraid you're out of luck.
Adjective
- 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
- having or bringing misfortune
- Friday the 13th is an unlucky date