as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
a luckless team with the worst record in the league
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of luckless
Vasyanovych plays Roman, a luckless director who’s out of work and trying to shoot his latest film in a country whose dwindling population is still traumatized by the war.
—
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for luckless
Adjective
-
The two recent deaths in Minneapolis are an unfortunate result of less-then-peaceful protesting.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The 2025 August slide from the Padre with the biggest contract was especially unfortunate as the Padres (16-12 in August) were unable to fully capitalize on the Dodgers’ struggles (15-13 in August) to overtake them in the NL West.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Many people have a profound attachment to suffering and staying in unhappy relationships and so a lot of my work is trying to figure out why.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The day after the Super Bowl, some people are guaranteed to be unhappy.—
Mike Snider,
AZCentral.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In the film, O’Hara’s Cookie and her hapless husband, Gerry (played by Eugene Levy), own a Norwich terrier named Winky who is competing for best in show.—
Michaela Zee,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
-
In public, Newsom speaks often and openly about his errors, fortifying his image as a bumptious, slightly hapless victim of his own enthusiasms.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
However, despite his thin background, when the financial crisis of that decade broke out, Warsh was by all accounts knowledgeable and effective in the Fed’s efforts to prevent a disastrous meltdown of financial markets.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Political commentator Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and first-time candidate, made the argument to viewers that California’s problems have been caused by the disastrous policies of the people who have been in power during 16 years of one-party – Democratic party – rule.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Three injuries in the same area were unlucky, but also undermined Villa’s hand in wanting to sign a replacement.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
The Romans divided the year into 10 months, from March to December, of either 29 or 31 days based on lunar cycles and the superstition that even numbers were unlucky, according to BBC Sky at Night Magazine.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Slot bemoaned the fine margins but there have been far too many hard-luck stories.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Burford has stepped in nicely for hard-luck left guard Ben Bartch.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
20 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Luckless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/luckless. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
