desafortunado
“desafortunado” means “unlucky” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
unlucky, unfortunate
Also: hapless
📝 In Action
Él es un hombre desafortunado en el juego, pero afortunado en el amor.
B1He is an unlucky man in gambling, but lucky in love.
Fue un encuentro desafortunado que cambió sus planes.
B1It was an unfortunate encounter that changed her plans.
inappropriate, ill-advised
Also: unfortunate
📝 In Action
El político hizo un comentario desafortunado sobre la economía.
B2The politician made an inappropriate comment about the economy.
Fue una decisión desafortunada que le costó el trabajo.
B2It was an ill-advised decision that cost him his job.
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "desafortunado" in Spanish:
hapless→ill-advised→inappropriate→unfortunate→unlucky→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: desafortunado
Question 1 of 2
If a friend says something embarrassing at a party, you might describe their comment as:
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Spanish prefix 'des-' (expressing negation or the opposite) added to 'afortunado' (lucky), which comes from the Latin 'fortuna' meaning luck or chance.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'desafortunado' a very formal word?
It is neutral. You can use it in casual conversation to talk about bad luck, but it is also very common in news and business to describe poor decisions.
Can I use 'desafortunado' to mean 'sad'?
Not exactly. While an unfortunate event might be sad, the word specifically describes the lack of luck or the poor timing, not the emotion itself.