Synonyms & related words for unfortunate

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of unfortunate — including inauspicious, unlucky, regrettable, infelicitous, hapless, schlimazel. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to unfortunate

Explore words related to unfortunate — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include unluckiness, languisher, unchancy, infelicitously, misfortune, haplessly, tragical, fortunate. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for unfortunate

Common synonyms for unfortunate include inauspicious, unlucky, regrettable, infelicitous, hapless, schlimazel, lamentable, luckless — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does unfortunate come from?

The word unfortunate breaks down into 2 roots of Old English and Latin origin: un-, from Old English un (“not, reverse”); and -fortun, from Latin fortuna (“luck, fortune”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.