UNFORTUNATELY Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

unfortunately

adverb

Definition of unfortunately

as in sadly

by bad fortune or luck Unfortunately, you've just missed her.

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Example 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 unfortunately He also, unfortunately, ceded possession to PSG’s counter-press, contributing to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s thunderous strike taking the lead. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 But unfortunately life gets in the way of this triumphant moment in a young person’s life when her mother Elizabeth’s (Melanie Lynskey) cancer returns. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2026 In this meme, unfortunately for those banking on righteousness, Venom is the clear winner. — Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 And unfortunately for Tom — but luckily for the show’s fans — those supernatural forces have been reawakened, just in time for the summer tourist season. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfortunately

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfortunately

Adverb

Heavy oils and butters Natural-hair routines can lean hard on oils, and sadly, that may work against you.

— Ayren Jackson-Cannady, Allure, 20 Aug. 2026
Despite being predators, these individuals are sadly no match for humans.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of sadly

Adverb

The Locke works are placed directly above and below a small Albers; inches away from each are examples of minerals, in their own display cases, which, jutting out from the wall, distract lamentably from the canvases.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 8 June 2026
Our attorney general’s hyperbolic statements, lamentably, do little to help on that front.

— Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 1 May 2026

Definition of lamentably

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unfortunate

unfortunately

unfounded

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“Unfortunately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunately. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of unfortunately

adverb

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