What does unluckiness mean?
Unluckiness is a noun meaning the state of being unlucky, or experiencing bad luck. It can refer to a particular unfortunate event, such as a missed chance or an injury at a crucial moment, or to a broader pattern of misfortune affecting someone. The word is commonly used in sports, work, games, and everyday accounts of events that went wrong. It is usually neutral in tone, though it can emphasize the random or unavoidable character of a setback. Unluckiness differs from “unlucky,” which is an adjective describing a person, result, or event, and from “misfortune,” which may refer more specifically to an adverse occurrence. Although “unluckinesses” is grammatically possible, the singular mass noun is the normal form because the word usually names a quality or condition rather than a countable object.
nounThe state of being unlucky or experiencing bad luck; an instance or condition of misfortune.
- The condition or experience of being unfortunate or having bad luck.
"A little unluckiness in the final moments cost the team the match."
"A little unluckiness in the final moments cost the team the match."
"The report attributes the project's failure to poor planning rather than simple unluckiness."
Rare; the usual form is the mass-noun singular. The plural is used when referring to separate instances or spells of bad luck.
"The novel describes three separate unluckinesses that change the characters' lives."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does unluckiness come from?
Unluckiness is an English formation based on “unlucky,” which combines the prefix un-, meaning “not” or “without,” with “lucky,” meaning “having good fortune.” The suffix -ness forms a noun naming the quality or state expressed by the adjective. The related English family includes “luck,” “lucky,” “luckless,” “luckiness,” and “unlucky,” all belonging to the same basic lexical group.
How unluckiness is actually used
Usually neutral and abstract. It is often used to describe a run of bad luck, an unfortunate circumstance, or the general quality of an outcome; it is normally used as a mass noun.
Easily confused with unluckiness
“Unlucky” is an adjective describing a person or outcome, whereas “unluckiness” names the state of bad luck.