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

"Each week, we set the table for a discussion about Joy of Cooking recipes and history, kitchen victories and misadventures, and, most important, what we are cooking and eating," they write.

From Salon

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

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

Nothing has yet emerged from it that ties the son to criminal activity other than drug-related misadventures to which the younger Mr. Biden has already confessed.

From New York Times

Related Words

• blunder
• misfortune
• woe