Word for bad luck

When someone has bad luck, it means that misfortune has a way of finding them. Usually, the worst situations will happen to them. We can use a few words to describe these people, and this article will explore some of the best options for you.

What Do You Call A Person With Bad Luck?

We can use some really good words to describe people with bad luck. You might benefit from trying one of the following:

• Jinxed
• Cursed
• Loser
• Star-crossed
• Unfortunate
• Snake-bitten
• Unlucky
• Ill-fated
• Doomed
• Luckless

The preferred version is “jinxed.” It works well to show that someone always experiences bad luck, no matter what they do. We can use it to show that something almost spiritual makes a person lose out on being lucky in their lives.

Jinxed

“Jinxed” means that someone has bad luck and that they carry it around with them. It’s often believed that if you get too close to a “jinxed” person, their bad luck is likely to rub off on you (turning you into a “jinxed” person as well).

The definition of “jinxed,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “having or believed to bring bad luck.”

These examples will help you to understand it:

• She’s jinxed! Don’t go near her because she’s certainly going to cause you to fail the exam too!
• I’m not jinxed! Please don’t listen to that rubbish because it’s really hard for me.
• There he is! The jinx! Try and avoid him, guys! Otherwise, you might end up just as unlucky!

Cursed

“Cursed” works to show that someone attributes their bad luck to a “curse” (even if you don’t believe in them). It means that there is a spiritual or dangerous entity around a person that is deliberately causing them to fail at certain choices in life.

The definition of “cursed,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “experiencing bad luck caused by a magic curse.”

These examples should help you to understand it more:

• I swear that I’m cursed! I don’t know how to explain it, but everything I ever try to do I always fail at!
• He must be cursed! It’s the only explanation! Nobody works that hard only to end up in third place on the podium.
• Well, it’s not surprising. Haven’t you heard that she’s cursed? It’s really bad!

Loser

“Loser” works well to show that someone always “loses.” While it isn’t always about luck, we can use it to show that somebody’s bad luck has a way of making it harder for them to accept defeat or make useful decisions to assist themselves.

The definition of “loser,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a person who is always unsuccessful at everything they do.”

These examples might help you to understand it a bit better:

• I’m a complete loser. I don’t know why I even have friends or people who support me! I can’t get anything right.
• I’m not a loser, but I can’t shake this feeling that bad luck follows me wherever I go! I really hate it.
• He’s a loser, which is why he’ll never succeed in life! Don’t worry about him!

Star-Crossed

“Star-crossed” works well to show that someone is unlucky in life. Usually, it’s related to the term “star-crossed lovers,” where two people are fated never to be in a successful relationship with each other (no matter how hard they might try to make it work).

The definition of “star-crossed,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “unlucky.”

Check out these examples to see how it works:

• The star-crossed lovers are always destined to leave each other. They’ll never see each other again.
• I’m star-crossed in my situation right now! I wish there was something I could do to guarantee victory.
• He’s star-crossed because he’s fallen in love with a girl he knows he can’t have. It’s a shame, really.

Unfortunate

“Unfortunate” is a good way to show that someone is really unlucky. Bad luck will often come to find them, and the person it finds typically won’t know how or why things happened the way that they did. No explanation will help unfortunate people.

The definition of “unfortunate,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “unlucky or having bad effects.”

These examples should help you with this one:

• It’s unfortunate that you had to be here to see this. Now I don’t know how to proceed with my original plan.
• You’re very unfortunate, and I appreciate that. However, I cannot look at your situation lightly just because you’re hard done by.
• I’m too unfortunate to get anything right! Seriously, it feels like nothing goes my way, and I’m so sick of it!

Snake-Bitten

“Snake-bitten” comes from the idea that “snake bites” are dangerous and deadly. While rare, if you are bitten by a venomous snake, you will often die. That’s why “snake-bitten” works well to describe someone who is unlucky in life and will rarely succeed.

Here are a couple of examples to help you with it:

• They’re both snake-bitten, which is why I don’t see them as much of a threat in this competition.
• He claims that he’s snake-bitten, but I think that he simply isn’t as skilled as the other people around him.
• You’re not snake-bitten! You just need more practice to make sure you can win the trophy next time.

Unlucky

“Unlucky” is a simple way to show that someone has very little (if any) good luck. They will often have things happen to them that they did not expect or wish could have been avoided. Usually, these instances can’t be explained either.

The definition of “unlucky,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not lucky.”

These examples should help you to understand this one more:

• I’m too unlucky to give it a try. I know that I’ll fail no matter what happens!
• She’s very unlucky. I almost feel bad for her, but it does make it easier that I always get to win!
• You’re too unlucky in life, and I think it’s time that you try and get some success out of it!

Ill-Fated

“Ill-fated” works to show that someone is always unlucky and unsuccessful. Often, “ill-fated” people can be destined for complete failure, and it may end up resulting in darker issues (like their death), depending on the choices they make.

The definition of “ill-fated,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “unlucky and unsuccessful, often resulting in death.”

Check out these examples to see how to use it:

• She’s ill-fated, and I feel really bad for her. I almost wish there was something I could do to help her.
• You’re ill-fated, which means it’s likely that you won’t live as long as you seem to think you will.
• That whole family is ill-fated, and I’ve never been so sad to hear about someone else’s experiences in life!

Doomed

“Doomed” is a bit darker than some of the other words. It works to show that someone is always certain to fail or lose. However, it doesn’t always have to refer to luck, which is why it’s lower down on the list than some of the other options.

The definition of “doomed,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “certain to fail, die, or be destroyed.”

Check out these examples to see how it works:

• He’s completely doomed! There’s no way he can succeed with these things, and I don’t think it’s worth him trying.
• You’re doomed to fail, mate! Sorry, but it’s the truth! I don’t see why you want to give it a go.
• I’m always doomed! Never has my life given me an ounce of good fortune!

Luckless

“Luckless” works well to show that someone has no luck with them. They will often experience things that are similar to bad luck (even if they don’t believe in it) and will try to figure out why things aren’t going their way when they happen.

The definition of “luckless,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “used to describe someone who has a lot of bad luck.”

Here are some examples to help you with it:

• He’s really luckless, and I don’t think he’ll ever find someone that will care about him in life.
• You’re far too luckless to win this competition. Maybe you should find a different way to try and make a living.
• Stop calling me luckless! I don’t believe in that stuff, and I don’t want to hear it anymore.

Can A Person Have Bad Luck?

“Luck” is a very strange thing. It’s one of those concepts that you have to believe in if you want it to come your way. Therefore, there’s no real way of knowing whether someone can be lucky or unlucky.

A person can feel like they have bad luck when a lot of bad things happen to them. If they always take risks, but they never work out in their favor, then it’s likely that they might believe themselves to have bad luck.

However, it is all dependent on the person you speak to. Since some people don’t believe in the concept of “luck,” they might simply say that they make bad decisions and accept the consequences accordingly.