as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
the ill-fated trip ended in disaster for all
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Recent Examples of ill-fated
This quickly proves to be ill-fated when Red Feather and his men kill the scouts in a surprise attack, leaving only one survivor who later points them in Red Feather’s direction.
—
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Recent offseason activity saw the narrative be about who was leaving the Boston Red Sox – Mookie Betts in the ill-fated traded to the Dodgers after 2019, Xander Bogaerts signing with the Padres after 2021 and the trade of Chris Sale to the Braves nearly a year ago.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
British broadcasters rarely adapt successful U.S. network shows and previous attempts have been ill-fated.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
When the runners bolted on Profar’s fly out to right, Mike Yastrzemski made an aggressive and ill-fated attempt to nab the lead runner at third.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2024
Her campaign in 2019 was a transparent and ill-fated attempt to co-opt the Bernie Sanders wing of the party rather than offer something new.
—Jay Cost, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
The changes are a departure from the solo anchor format that has been a standard feature of CBS Evening News throughout its history, save for a brief and ill-fated effort to pair Connie Chung with Dan Rather in the 1990s.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2024
The platform underscores how DeSantis has helped mold modern Republican ideology, despite GOP voters’ rejection of his bitter and ill-fated primary challenge of Trump.
—Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 17 July 2024
Even hiking the prices on the popular but ill-fated promotion couldn’t bandage the wound.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 May 2024
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Recent offseason activity saw the narrative be about who was leaving the Boston Red Sox – Mookie Betts in the ill-fated traded to the Dodgers after 2019, Xander Bogaerts signing with the Padres after 2021 and the trade of Chris Sale to the Braves nearly a year ago.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
British broadcasters rarely adapt successful U.S. network shows and previous attempts have been ill-fated.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
When the runners bolted on Profar’s fly out to right, Mike Yastrzemski made an aggressive and ill-fated attempt to nab the lead runner at third.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2024
Her campaign in 2019 was a transparent and ill-fated attempt to co-opt the Bernie Sanders wing of the party rather than offer something new.
—Jay Cost, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Aug. 2024
The changes are a departure from the solo anchor format that has been a standard feature of CBS Evening News throughout its history, save for a brief and ill-fated effort to pair Connie Chung with Dan Rather in the 1990s.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2024
The platform underscores how DeSantis has helped mold modern Republican ideology, despite GOP voters’ rejection of his bitter and ill-fated primary challenge of Trump.
—Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 17 July 2024
Even hiking the prices on the popular but ill-fated promotion couldn’t bandage the wound.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ill-fated
Adjective
-
On Monday evening, within hours of learning of the directive, some state workers called the order stupid and unfortunate.—
William Melhado,
Sacramento Bee,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Christie suffered from acute seasickness, unfortunate considering her trips to each continent were by ship.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Some are unhappy with the people executing his vision for a smaller government. 2️⃣ Soccer showcase: The 2026 World Cup is still more than a year away, but there are already big concerns over whether the host country is ready.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN,
6 Mar. 2025
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Independent distributors are unhappy with the growing percentage of royalty payments for their artists that are too low to be worth processing.—
Bill Rosenblatt,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Victor Kristiansen, January 2023 Similar to Faes, Kristiansen only knows a relegation dogfight in the Premier League after joining midway through the disastrous 2022-23 season.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
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Three campaigns stand out — one weirdly funny, one weirdly disastrous and one weirdly endearing.—
Steven Hyden,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ill-fated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ill-fated. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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