UNLUCKILY Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

unluckily

adverb

Definition of unluckily

as in unfortunately

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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 unluckily The government is not some company unluckily plagued by incompetent executives. — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 19 May 2026 Despite being the better team by all accounts, her first foray in the German top-flight unluckily ended with a 2-1 loss to Die Wölfe. — Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026 Luckily, or unluckily, depending on one’s perspective, Mayci is not allowed to let the situation lie for long. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026 In the second half, Herrington recovered well to guard Jesus Ferreira, but unluckily deflected a shot straight to Paul Rothrock for Seattle’s second goal. — Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 23 Feb. 2026 Most of the damage wiped out four watertight compartments, into which 16,000 tons of water gushed, but unluckily the ice pierced two other compartments. — Sean Kingsley, HollywoodReporter, 11 Apr. 2025 But unluckily, the hatch was open—so the vessel sank 5,000 feet to the ocean floor. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 26 Feb. 2025 These include his eldest, Frederick (Henry Thomas), a Kendall Roy type and father to the only Usher grandchild, unluckily named Lenore. — Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2023 Luckily for him, and unluckily for the cast and crew, real zombies arrive. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unluckily

Adverb

This very perfunctory cover unfortunately does nothing to build on the original.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
The guys in this locker room believe in each other, and even the guys who, unfortunately, aren’t here, believed in this team.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of unfortunately

Adverb

Curry is largely there for comic relief, swanning in with a bevy of beauties, challenging Bosley (Bill Murray) to a sumo match, and, sadly, getting murdered by the pool, thus depriving us of Curry’s magnetic presence for the rest of the film.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
The suite is named The Endeavour, after the airplane of a former owner’s daughter, aviatrix Elsie Mackay, who attempted to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic a year after Charles Lindbergh and sadly disappeared somewhere along the way.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of sadly

Adverb

As the Chiefs marched to a second straight Super Bowl championship and their third in five seasons, Toney watched unhappily.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
But its actual lead is Alice (Souheila Yacoub), a Frenchwoman unhappily married to Joseph’s older brother, Will (George Pullar).

— Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 10 July 2026

Definition of unhappily

Adverb

Basically, Cleveland has a turnkey offense waiting for its 2027 quarterback, who, regrettably, is still in college.

— Andy Behrens, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Grant, regrettably, was ranked 36th and last for his work on 10 snaps, though that’s too small a sample size to make any conclusions whatsoever.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of regrettably

Adverb

The world will become tragically, unbearably competent, a surface without a seam.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
That blaze tragically caused the deaths of almost the entire Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot team when flames accelerated through dry, dense, shrubby terrain and overtook 19 elite firefighters.

— Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of tragically

Adverb

The Locke works are placed directly above and below a small Albers; inches away from each are examples of minerals, in their own display cases, which, jutting out from the wall, distract lamentably from the canvases.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026
Our attorney general’s hyperbolic statements, lamentably, do little to help on that front.

— Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026

Definition of lamentably

Browse Nearby Words

unloving

unluckily

unluckiness

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“Unluckily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unluckily. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of unluckily

adverb

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