misadventure

[ mis-uhd-ven-cher ]

noun

1. an instance of bad fortune; mishap.

   Synonyms: catastrophe, calamity, disaster, accident, mischance

misadventure

/ ˌmɪsədˈvɛntʃə /

noun

1. an unlucky event; misfortune
2. law accidental death not due to crime or negligence

Word History and Origins

Origin of misadventure¹

1250–1300; mis- ¹ + adventure; replacing Middle English mesaventure < Old French

Example Sentences

Senior coroner Jacqueline Lake said she believed Mrs Lord intended to enter the water but did not intend to take her own life and concluded she died by misadventure.

From BBC

But in doing so, writer-director James Watkins has swapped out malevolence for a tamer sense of misadventure.

From Los Angeles Times

Sensing what seemed to be an epic blunder that would take us directly into the maw of vehicular misadventure, we exchanged nervous glances in the back seat and checked our watches.

From Los Angeles Times

The New York Times assigned a young environmental reporter named Tatiana Schlossberg to the story: Yes, another Kennedy unknowingly chronicled her cousin’s misadventure:

From Los Angeles Times

Recusal is a much more serious step, but given Cannon’s misadventure with the search warrant and reported refusal of her fellow judges’ entreaties to relinquish this case, I think there’s a strong prospect of such a remedy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• blunder
• misfortune
• woe