From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishunluckyun‧luck‧y /ʌnˈlʌki/ adjective (comparative unluckier, superlative unluckiest) 1 UNLUCKYhaving bad luck → misfortuneunlucky to do something Inter Milan were unlucky to lose the match.unlucky with We were unlucky with the weather this weekend. It rained constantly. Thierry Henry was desperately unlucky not to score when his shot hit the post.2 UNLUCKYcausing bad luck Some people think black cats are unlucky.3 UNLUCKYhappening as a result of bad luck SYN unfortunate an unlucky accident It was unlucky for Stephen that the boss happened to walk in just at that moment. —unluckily adverbTHESAURUSunlucky having bad luck, or causing bad luckMatthews played well and was unlucky not to score.Thirteen is an unlucky number.We were unlucky with the weather. It rained almost every day.unfortunate unlucky because something bad happens to you that you do not deserve. Unfortunate sounds rather formal and is used mainly in writingHe was very unfortunate to lose his job just after his wife had a baby.the unfortunate victims of crimebe/bring bad luck if something is bad luck or brings bad luck, it is believed to make bad things happenIt’s supposed to be bad luck to walk under a ladder.Crows were thought to bring bad luck.jinxed if something is jinxed, it seems to bring bad luck to everyone who is connected with it. If a person is jinxed, a lot of bad things happen to them and they seem very unluckyI’m beginning to think this house is jinxed.Some people believed the family was jinxed.
Examples from the Corpus
unlucky• "Were you disappointed with the team's performance?" "No, not really, I think we were just unlucky."• The car in front braked suddenly and I went straight into it - it was just unlucky.• Red is lucky to card players and red cars are also lucky, while red flowers and red hair are unlucky.• I never kill spiders - it's unlucky.• Some people think that black cats are unlucky.• Bruce Edgar adjudged him unlucky, but his record was modest: 17 wickets at 52.11 and 248 runs at 15.50.• The victims were simply unlucky enough to have been in the restaurant when the gunmen started shooting.• The unlucky federal judge in whose court the suit is brought is faced with a number of equally unpalatable choices.• It was unlucky for Steve that the teacher walked in just at that moment.• I've never had a girlfriend more than a couple of months - I guess I'm just unlucky in love.• That one was dismissed as an unlucky incident, but my troubles continued.• Unless they are unlucky, it will not touch even the fringe of their lives.• I don't believe anyone is born lucky or unlucky - life is what you make it.• Bury's Derek Ward was the unlucky man.• People tie it in with the fact that Jack Nicklaus was unlucky not to win.• Why do you want to get married on the 13th. Thirteen is such an unlucky number.• Chicago was unlucky to lose in the final minute of the game.• Some people think it's unlucky to walk under ladders.• He seems to be very unlucky with cars - every time he buys one it always has something wrong with it.• We were unlucky with the weather. It rained almost every day we were on the island.desperately unlucky• Barnes was desperately unlucky after a magnificent one-two with McManaman to see his volley come back off the foot of the post. 