# unfortunate

Pronunciation: US say "un-FOR-chuh-nit" /ʌnˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/; UK say "un-FAW-chuh-nuht" /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nət/

## Adjective

1. Marked by, accompanied by, or leading to misfortune or bad luck.
   - Simple: Bringing bad luck, or coming with trouble and harm.
   - _The unfortunate decision to cut corners ended up costing the company millions._
   - _A storm during the launch made for an unfortunate beginning to the voyage._
2. Regrettable, or poorly suited to the occasion or circumstances.
   - Simple: Something you wish had not happened, or that does not fit the situation.
   - _The mayor later apologized for the unfortunate remark about the protesters._
   - _Pairing the formal speech with such casual music was an unfortunate match._
3. Not blessed with good fortune; beset by bad luck.
   - Simple: Having bad luck or a hard life.
   - _The unfortunate traveler missed three connecting flights in a single day._
   - _Few were as unfortunate as the villagers whose crops failed two years running._

## Noun

4. A person who has suffered bad luck or fallen into difficult circumstances.
   - Simple: A person who has very bad luck or has fallen on hard times.
   - _The charity was founded to feed and house the city's unfortunates._
   - _He saw himself as a kindly patron of every unfortunate who knocked on his door._

## Noun

5. A pitying, indirect word for a prostitute, used in earlier eras to avoid the blunt term. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: An old, gentle word for a prostitute.
   - _The constable led two unfortunates away from the docks before midnight._
   - _A young unfortunate stood beneath the gaslamp, waiting in the cold rain._

## Origin

Formed from the prefix 'un-' added to 'fortunate', and a doublet of 'infortunate'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/unfortunate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).