misfortune

Everyday

1. Misfortune is bad luck. tree →
2. A misfortune is an unlucky or bad event that happens to someone. tree →

In the lessons

In stories: characters suffer misfortune and then things improve. In formal speech: "I had the misfortune to break my leg." Phrases: have the misfortune to, suffer misfortune, a series of misfortunes.

Examples

• The farmer had the misfortune of losing his crops in a flood. tree →
• The story tells of a boy's many misfortunes. tree →
• It was a misfortune that the bus broke down. tree →
• Don't laugh at other people's misfortune. tree →
• She bore her misfortune bravely. tree →
• One misfortune followed another on the trip. tree →
• Learn from the misfortunes of others. tree →

Note

Opposite: fortune, good luck. "Mis-" means bad or wrong. Formal word; in everyday talk say "bad luck". Countable for single events, uncountable for bad luck in general.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means disaster or evil as a result of wickedness, in contrast with the hope of the righteous.

Interpretation. Proverbs is read as teaching that the righteous keep hope in God even at the edge of death, which tradition links to belief in reward beyond this life.

Examples

• The wicked is thrust down in his misfortune; but the righteous, even when he is brought to death, hath hope. (Writings PRO.14.32, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Opposite: fortune, good luck. "Mis-" means bad or wrong. Formal word; in everyday talk say "bad luck". Countable for single events, uncountable for bad luck in general.