Meaning & use
unluckiest
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“unluckiest” is a form of “unlucky”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Having more bad fortune than anyone or anything else in a group, or suffering the worst chance events.
Grammar: Needs 'the' before it: the unluckiest player, not unluckiest player.
Patterns
- the unluckiest person in something
- the unluckiest of all
He was the unluckiest runner in the race, tripping just before the finish line.
Of all the campers, we were the unluckiest and got rain every single day.
She called it the unluckiest day of her life after losing both her keys and her wallet.
Common combinations
- the unluckiest person alive
- After three flat tires in a week, he felt like the unluckiest person alive.
- the unluckiest team
- They were the unluckiest team in the league, losing four games by a single point.
- unluckiest of all
- The unluckiest of all was the goalkeeper, who slipped on the wet grass.
- the unluckiest break
- A cracked bat was the unluckiest break of the match.
Synonyms and how they differ
- most unfortunate
- Most unfortunate is more formal and can describe serious misfortune, whereas unluckiest often refers to small everyday bad breaks.
- most ill-fated
- Ill-fated suggests a doomed outcome, which is stronger than just having bad luck.
- most jinxed
- Jinxed is informal and implies a curse, while unluckiest simply compares amounts of bad luck.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: unluckiest or luckiest?
unluckiest vs luckiest
Luckiest is the opposite: it describes the person with the most good fortune.
Practice
Out of all fifty entrants, Priya had the worst possible draw. She was ______.
Choose one answer.
Comparing one person to fifty others needs a superlative with 'the', so the unluckiest fits; 'unluckier' compares only two things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unluckiest”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.