Etymologically
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unfortunate

Etymology and origin of the English word unfortunate

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
mid-15th century
Ultimate origin
English (un-,fortunate)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/, /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nət/ (UK); /ʌnˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/, /ʌnˈfɔɹt͡ʃ.nɪt/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + fortunate.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Unlucky, not favoured by fortune: the mid-15th century in Etymonline, the 15th century in MWU;[2][3] 1530 in the OED.[4]

Semantic evolution

Infortunate, in the same sense, is older, and Middle English also had unfortuned.[2] Marked by misfortune, disastrous, is from before 1548.[4] The noun, an unfortunate person, is from 1683 (the 1630s in Etymonline),[4][3][2] and Fowler (1926) classed this use as stock pathos.[2] In the late 18th and early 19th centuries unfortunate woman was a euphemism for a prostitute,[2] and the noun is so recorded from 1803;[4] Etymonline quotes Hood's Bridge of Sighs, One more Unfortunate, / Weary of breath.[2] Regrettable or unsuitable, as of a remark, is a later weakened sense.[5][6] In Irish dialect an unfortunate was also a simpleton.[7]

Timeline

  • mid-15th century – unlucky.[2]
  • before 1548 – disastrous.[4]
  • 1683 – the noun.[4]
  • 1803 – a prostitute.[4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Having bad luck; unlucky.
  2. Causing or accompanied by misfortune; disastrous.
  3. Regrettable or unsuitable: an unfortunate remark.

Noun

  1. An unlucky person; a victim of bad luck.

Word family

  • unfortunately
  • unfortunateness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
Cite this entry

“Unfortunate.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unfortunate. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·