misfortune
B2Formal
Definition
Meaning
Bad luck; an unfortunate event or circumstance.
A state or instance of adversity, hardship, or disaster; a sequence of events causing distress or suffering.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Can refer to both a single unfortunate event and a general state of bad luck. Often carries a sense of being outside the individual's control, implying fate or chance.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling, pronunciation, or meaning differences. Usage frequency and collocation tendencies are identical.
Connotations
Identical; formal, slightly literary in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more common in written than spoken language in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
suffer + misfortunebring + misfortune + on/upon + someonea piece/bit of + misfortunehave + the + misfortune + to + infinitiveVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “to have the misfortune to do something”
- “a stroke/twist of misfortune”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to describe financial losses, failed ventures, or market downturns beyond management's control. e.g., 'The company's misfortunes were due to the recession.'
Academic
Used in historical, sociological, or literary analysis to discuss collective or individual suffering. e.g., 'The study explored the role of perceived misfortune in social cohesion.'
Everyday
Used to describe personal bad luck or unfortunate events. e.g., 'He had the misfortune of missing his flight.'
Technical
Rare in highly technical contexts; more common in risk assessment or narrative case studies.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- (Not applicable as a verb. The related verb is 'to befall' or 'to happen to').
American English
- (Not applicable as a verb).
adverb
British English
- (No direct adverb. Use 'unfortunately').
American English
- (No direct adverb).
adjective
British English
- (No direct adjective. Use 'unfortunate' or 'ill-fated'). The misfortune-laden project was cancelled.
American English
- (No direct adjective). The ill-fated venture was a classic tale of misfortune.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Losing his keys was a bit of bad luck.
- She had bad luck with the weather on her holiday.
- It was a misfortune that the bus broke down.
- He has had a lot of misfortune in his life.
- The family suffered a series of financial misfortunes.
- By an extraordinary stroke of misfortune, both flights were cancelled.
- Historians debate whether the empire's collapse was due to strategic failure or sheer misfortune.
- She bore her personal misfortunes with remarkable dignity and resilience.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: MIS (wrong/bad) + FORTUNE (luck/wealth) = bad luck. Imagine a fortune cookie with a negative message inside.
Conceptual Metaphor
MISFORTUNE IS AN ADVERSARIAL AGENT (Misfortune struck him). MISFORTUNE IS A BURDEN (He bore his misfortunes bravely).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of 'несчастье' as 'unhappiness' – 'misfortune' refers to the event/circumstance, not the emotion. The emotion is 'distress' or 'sadness'.
- Do not confuse with 'несчастный случай' (accident). 'Misfortune' is broader.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a countable noun without an article ('He had misfortune' -> 'He had a misfortune / some misfortune').
- Confusing 'misfortune' (event) with 'unfortunate' (adjective).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is NOT a typical collocation with 'misfortune'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. An 'accident' is a specific unplanned, often damaging event (e.g., a car crash). 'Misfortune' is broader, covering any bad luck or adverse circumstance, which may or may not be an accident.
Almost never. Its core meaning is negative. It might be used in a philosophical or resilience-building context (e.g., 'learning from misfortune'), but the event itself is negative.
'Misfortune' refers to the external event of bad luck. 'Misery' refers to the intense feeling of unhappiness or suffering that may result from it.
It is grammatically correct but stylistically awkward and redundant. More natural phrasing includes 'I suffered a misfortune', 'Misfortune struck', or 'I had the misfortune to...'.