different between unfortunate vs infelicitous

English

Etymology

un- +? fortunate

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?f??tj?n?t/, /?n?f??t???n?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?f??t???n?t/
• Hyphenation: un?for?tu?nate

Adjective

unfortunate (comparative more unfortunate, superlative most unfortunate)

1. not favored by fortune

   Synonym: unsuccessful

   Antonym: fortunate

2. marked or accompanied by or resulting in misfortune

   Synonym: unlucky

   Antonyms: fortunate, lucky

Translations

Derived terms

• unfortunately

See also

• deplorable
• regrettable
• infelicitous
• unsuitable

Noun

unfortunate (plural unfortunates)

1. An unlucky person; one who has fallen into bad circumstances.

Translations

English

Etymology

From in- +? felicitous.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??n.f??l?s.?.t?s/, /??n.f??l?s.?.t?s/, /??n.f?l??s.?.t?s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??n.f??l?s.?.t?s/, /??n.f??l?s.?.t?s/

Adjective

infelicitous (comparative more infelicitous, superlative most infelicitous)

1. Unhappy or unfortunate.
   • 1973, Bret Harte, "A Boy's Dog" in Mrs. Skaggs's Husbands and Other Sketches:

     If leading a "dog's life" be considered a peculiar phase of human misery, the life of a Boys' Dog is still more infelicitous.

2. Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done.
   • 1909, William MacLeod Raine, Ridgway of Montana, ch. 24:

     "Now, you've got just grounds for shooting me," he said gaily, and instantly regretted his infelicitous remark.

3. (linguistics) Of a sentence or utterance: not semantically and pragmatically coherent.

Synonyms

• (unhappy): See Thesaurus:sad or Thesaurus:lamentable
• (unlucky): See Thesaurus:unlucky

Derived terms

• infelicitously
• infelicitousness

Translations