unfortunately

adverb

Definition of unfortunatelynext
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 This very perfunctory cover unfortunately does nothing to build on the original. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026 The guys in this locker room believe in each other, and even the guys who, unfortunately, aren’t here, believed in this team. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026 The McCaskeys, unfortunately, seem to think that every Chicago and Illinois resident need the Bears here to survive. — Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 Scan Pieces for Flaws Hairline cracks, cloudiness, and chips are unfortunately common in glassware, so check every surface for signs of damage. — Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfortunately
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfortunately
  1. sadly
  2. lamentably
Adverb
  • Curry is largely there for comic relief, swanning in with a bevy of beauties, challenging Bosley (Bill Murray) to a sumo match, and, sadly, getting murdered by the pool, thus depriving us of Curry’s magnetic presence for the rest of the film.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The suite is named The Endeavour, after the airplane of a former owner’s daughter, aviatrix Elsie Mackay, who attempted to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic a year after Charles Lindbergh and sadly disappeared somewhere along the way.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 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

Browse Nearby Words

unfortunate
unfortunately
unfounded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unfortunately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfortunately. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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