Synonyms of bad luck

16 similar words · 9 opposite words

Another word for bad luck is adversity. Other synonyms of bad luck are misfortune, mishap, misadventure, mischance and unluck. The opposite of bad luck is fortuity.

Synonyms and similar words for bad luck

adversenessThe state or quality of being adverse, or opposed.
adversityThe state of adverse conditions; state of misfortune or calamity.
bad cessBad luck, failure, or evil befalling.
hard luckBad luck.
ill luckBad luck; misluck; misfortune.
misadventureSynonym of misfortune, bad luck or mishap, an instance of bad luck.
mischanceBad luck, misfortune.
misfortuneSynonym of bad luck.
mishapIll luck; misfortune; mischance.
misluckIll luck; misfortune.
tough luckBad luck.
unfortunatenessThe quality of being unfortunate; bad luck; mischance.
unluckAbsence or lack of luck; lucklessness; bad luck; misfortune.
unluckinessThe state, quality, or condition of being unlucky or unfortunate; misfortune.
disadventure obsoleteSynonym of misadventure, bad luck, an instance of bad luck, a mistake.
illfare archaicMisfortune; detriment; harm; evilfare.

What is another word for bad luck?: Bad luck has 16 synonyms on Word.ws, such as adversity, misfortune, mishap, misadventure, mischance, unluck, misluck and unfortunateness.
What is the opposite of bad luck?: The opposite of bad luck is fortuity. Other antonyms of bad luck are luck.
What does bad luck mean?: Bad luck means an undesirable turn of events (such as an accident); misfortune.

Adapted from Wiktionary: bad luck (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of bad luck.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/bad_luck. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.