BAD LUCK

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does bad luck mean? 

• BAD LUCK (noun)
  The noun BAD LUCK has 3 senses:

1. an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes

2. an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

3. unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event

  Familiarity information: BAD LUCK used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BAD LUCK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

bad luck; ill luck; misfortune; tough luck

Hypernyms ("bad luck" is a kind of...):

circumstances; destiny; fate; fortune; lot; luck; portion (your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bad luck"):

weakness (the condition of being financially weak)

adversity; hard knocks; hardship (a state of misfortune or affliction)

gutter; sewer; toilet (misfortune resulting in lost effort or money)

hard cheese (bad luck)

Antonym:

good luck (an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

bad luck; mischance; mishap

Context example:

if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all

Hypernyms ("bad luck" is a kind of...):

chance; fortune; hazard; luck (an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

bad luck; misfortune

Hypernyms ("bad luck" is a kind of...):

trouble (an event causing distress or pain)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "bad luck"):

pity; shame (an unfortunate development)

misadventure; mischance; mishap (an instance of misfortune)

calamity; cataclysm; catastrophe; disaster; tragedy (an event resulting in great loss and misfortune)

adversity (a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event)

hardship (something that causes or entails suffering)

knock (a bad experience)

 Context examples 

Bad luck to you! and then he swung the bag upon his back, and went off without even once looking at the children.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

In an instant they stood before him; but the queen wept, and said he had broken his word, and bad luck would follow.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Though he made the best of his bad luck, he did not like his quarters at all; and the worst of it was, that more and more hay was always coming down, and the space left for him became smaller and smaller.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)