as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
a hard-luck ball club that never could get the breaks it needed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hard-luck
Ticketed, booted, towed — there are a million hard-luck parking enforcement stories in the naked city.
—
Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
His latest album, 2023’s Twenty on High, is a revelatory collection of hard-luck stories and working-class resilience.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2024
The rise from an impoverished, dysfunctional upbringing in hard-luck Appalachia to Yale Law School and the U.S. Senate is truly the stuff of political myth-making.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The latest delay was a familiar setback for the hard-luck Starliner, which has suffered a steady stream of frustrating complications since an initial unpiloted test flight in 2019 was derailed by software problems and communications glitches.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 21 May 2024
Head-to-head with Donald Trump Now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended his hard-luck campaign just before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Haley will be going head-to-head with her former boss on Tuesday in the Granite State.
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Horan was the hard-luck shooter of the game, denied multiple times by Musovic and clanking another header off the crossbar.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2023
And Rafael Devers has had kind of a hard-luck year, even as he’s been productive.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2023
Williams came up short in her effort, a hard-luck, 6-4, 6-3 loss to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in which Williams aggravated an injured right knee early in the match.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 3 July 2023
Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
His latest album, 2023’s Twenty on High, is a revelatory collection of hard-luck stories and working-class resilience.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2024
The rise from an impoverished, dysfunctional upbringing in hard-luck Appalachia to Yale Law School and the U.S. Senate is truly the stuff of political myth-making.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2024
The latest delay was a familiar setback for the hard-luck Starliner, which has suffered a steady stream of frustrating complications since an initial unpiloted test flight in 2019 was derailed by software problems and communications glitches.
—William Harwood, CBS News, 21 May 2024
Head-to-head with Donald Trump Now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended his hard-luck campaign just before Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, Haley will be going head-to-head with her former boss on Tuesday in the Granite State.
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
Horan was the hard-luck shooter of the game, denied multiple times by Musovic and clanking another header off the crossbar.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Aug. 2023
And Rafael Devers has had kind of a hard-luck year, even as he’s been productive.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 July 2023
Williams came up short in her effort, a hard-luck, 6-4, 6-3 loss to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in which Williams aggravated an injured right knee early in the match.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 3 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hard-luck
Adjective
-
In recent years, however, Sedona’s storyline has taken an unfortunate (though not unwarranted) hit.Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
-
In his career, Mike Tyson has been known more for his fists and his unfortunate body art choices than his punditry.Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Instead of simply telling CEOs that employees are unhappy, provide hard evidence that points to why.Alena Botros, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024
-
Pickford grew up in a quiet, unhappy house near Richmond Park, in southwest London.Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
-
Wisconsin’s lurch to the right fit with the national trend: many Americans worried the U.S. was losing its edge, mired in economic woes and appearing hapless on the global stage.Nancy C. Unger / Made by History, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
-
But signs indicate all along that his actions were egregiously hapless, not intentionally sinister.Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near hard-luck
Cite this Entry
“Hard-luck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hard-luck. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share