unfortunates
USun-FOR-chuh-nits/ʌnˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪts/UKun-FAW-chuh-nuhts/ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nəts/
- 1Plural of unfortunate.
The charity was founded to house the city's unfortunates through the winter.
Volunteers handed out blankets to the unfortunates gathered near the bridge.
Note
Only the noun takes this -s. The adjective unfortunate never does, so unfortunates always names people. It usually names them collectively and with a note of pity, often after the: the unfortunates of the city. In older prose it could also be a euphemism for prostitutes, a meaning now archaic. Check the context before reading it simply as 'the unlucky.'
unfortunates is a form of unfortunate
unfortunate, noun: A person who has suffered bad luck or fallen into difficult circumstances. Full entry
- Forms
- unfortunateunfortunates plural
- Spelling
- unfortunate → unfortunates: add -s
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /s/.
Use it in a sentence
Write your own sentence with unfortunates, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.