What's the difference between fortunate and unlucky?

Fortunate


Definition:

  • (n.) Coming by good luck or favorable chance; bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain; presaging happiness; auspicious; as, a fortunate event; a fortunate concurrence of circumstances; a fortunate investment.
  • (n.) Receiving same unforeseen or unexpected good, or some good which was not dependent on one's own skill or efforts; favored with good forune; lucky.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) However, the City focused on the improvement in the fortunes of its Irish business, Ulster bank, and its new mini bad bank which led to a 1.8% rise in the shares to 368p.
  • (2) I suppose he’ll have to go to QPR.” Lampard released a statement confirming his departure from Chelsea that read: “When I arrived at this fantastic club 13 years ago I would never have believed that I would be fortunate enough to play so many games and enjoy sharing in so much success.
  • (3) Diana of the sapphire eyes was rated more perfect than Botticelli's Venus and attracted Bryan Guinness, heir to the brewing fortune, as soon as she was out in society.
  • (4) Pointing out that “the army has its own fortune teller”, he sounds less than happy at the state of affairs: “The country is run by superstition.” Weerasethakul is in a relatively fortunate position, in that his arcane films are not exactly populist and don’t depend on the mainstream Thai film industry for funding, but he has become cast as a significant voice of dissent in a difficult time .
  • (5) Jeremain Lens, signed from Dynamo Kyiv, was fortunate to escape dismissal for a second yellow card, while Yann M’Vila, on loan from Rubin Kazan, followed his headbutt in the reserves by raising arms to Graham Dorrans during an unpunished, but unwise, bout of push ’n’ shove.
  • (6) Buffett’s fortune was briefly boosted by another $5.7bn purely on his personal stake in Kraft Heinz, whose shares rose 10%, while Unilever shares rose 13.4% to a record high.
  • (7) Instead this is contaminating the police and policing.” “In addition, it’s costing an absolute fortune where we have £50m being spent one case alone, ie Stakeknife,” he said, referring to the investigation into Freddie Scappaticci, who infiltrated the IRA and became head of its spy-catching unit.
  • (8) FWA chairman Andy Dunn said: "Those members who have been fortunate enough to be working at a match involving Luis Suárez have witnessed an astonishing talent first-hand.
  • (9) In a ­ recent ­article , Martin Jacques comments on how New Labour, which built its fortunes on "there being no alternative", is now being forced into the humiliating circumstances of having to find one.
  • (10) Unfortunately for New Mexico State, and fortunately for everyone who had work the next day, there would be no double overtime.
  • (11) We’ve both inherited our great good fortune through no skills or talents of our own.
  • (12) The association of a multiple-vessel disease with an extensive fibrous plaque is a syndrome that is highly sensitive but fortunately little specific in predicting severe arrhythmia during exercise tests.
  • (13) An analysis of the IQs for heavier and lighter birthweight twins suggests that the main effect of the identical twin transfusion syndrome is to lower the IQ of the lighter birthweight twin, rather than to raise the IQ of the more fortunate partner or to influence the IQ of both members.
  • (14) The price for applying thrombolytic therapy includes the risk of severe bleeding (about 5%) but, fortunately, mortality as a result of bleeding has been rare (less than or equal to 0.5%).
  • (15) Her home in nearby Burrowbridge just about escaped flooding but she spends four days a week doing volunteer work for those who were not so fortunate.
  • (16) The outcome of the illness was fortunate, as acute renal failure could be avoided.
  • (17) Some were less fortunate, but panic has given way to a Balkan pride and resilience.
  • (18) Yet many or all of the Fortune 500 companies are offering same-sex couples domestic partner benefits that are much more progressive than current legislation,” McLane adds.
  • (19) A 19-year-old girl with a long-standing history of kyphoscoliosis misdiagnosed as idiopathic was offered corrective surgery on several occasions but fortunately refused, since neurological examination later found evidence of mild dystonic posturing in the neck and right leg.
  • (20) Ian Livingstone is not all that keen on being photographed near the life-sized model of Lara Croft in his study – even though he was largely responsible for launching her on the world nearly 20 years ago, and the heroine of the Tomb Raider video games, comics and films helped to make his fortune.

Unlucky


Definition:

  • (a.) Not lucky; not successful; unfortunate; ill-fated; unhappy; as, an unlucky man; an unlucky adventure; an unlucky throw of dice; an unlucky game.
  • (a.) Bringing bad luck; ill-omened; inauspicious.
  • (a.) Mischievous; as, an unlucky wag.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Speaking about the player, who scored crucial goals for England during qualification for the 2014 World Cup, Hodgson said: “Andros was unlucky to lose his place in the squad when he wasn’t getting a regular game and he’s gone to Newcastle, got a regular game, and done very well there.” Expressing his delight in being selected, Townsend tweeted: “Huge honour to be named in provisional England squad for the euros ... Will give my all over next few weeks to try to make final squad!” Hodgson also declared himself pleased to include Jordan Henderson, who returned to action for Liverpool in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion having been out since early April with damaged knee ligaments.
  • (2) Hull were not exactly unlucky, they simply did not create enough from open play to deserve anything from the game, though Brady could hardly have come any closer to scoring.
  • (3) This weekend's games see Palermo engaged in a local derby with Messina, while Lazio host Sampdoria and Milan visit Chievo (whose hometown of Verona is regarded by Mialnisti as particularly unlucky).
  • (4) Although Speed had presided over five victories and five defeats in his 10 matches in charge of the principality, there were plenty of encouraging signs in Speed's stewardship, not least that four of the wins came in the past five games, with an unlucky 1-0 defeat by England at Wembley the only blemish.
  • (5) Yes, Khodorkovsky has been very unlucky in his fate, but we, his compatriots, have been unbelievably lucky: the party of human dignity is today embodied by an individual who conducts himself in a model fashion and does not bend or break under pressure.
  • (6) To cure Alzheimer’s, we first need to figure out why some of us are unlucky enough to get it.
  • (7) I’m nothing special, I’m just a nurse doing her job who got unlucky and caught a virus.
  • (8) There is nothing that anybody can do to pool their risk with the rest of the population, you just have to hope that you are not unlucky.
  • (9) Isaac Rosenberg's insignificant military career and unlucky end were sadly all too common in the first world war and would not be of any special interest had he not emerged as one of the most powerful poets of that war.
  • (10) She had a horrible taste in men, or was incredibly unlucky,” said Swingle.
  • (11) The Tories are likely to to face criticism for making those people unlucky enough to lose out in the lottery of serious illnesses in old age being penalised again by having all their assets above £100,000 being sequestrated by the state.
  • (12) The Argentinian playmaker picked up the loose ball and was unlucky to see his curling shot drift wide.
  • (13) I am one of the unlucky ones as my ancestors emigrated in the 19th century to Australia and eventually returned to Britain.
  • (14) Last season we were unlucky in the semi-finals and this season we would like to carry on the good work,” Cech said.
  • (15) While accepting Italy had been unlucky to be knocked out, Blatter urged restraint on the part of Italy's outraged team, officials and supporters, saying that not only the officials but their players had made decisive mistakes.
  • (16) If the worst part of the task will be whittling his initial 30 choices down to 23 and informing the unlucky seven, ask him what he is most anticipating and Hodgson is unequivocal: "I am looking forward to that first victory and I hope it is the first game so we are off and running."
  • (17) "I can say with my hand on my heart that it was not deliberate ... it was just my Norman Wisdom moment, just one of those unbelievably unlucky things that can sometimes happen.
  • (18) They ignore the poverty that exists for the children who are unlucky enough to live in areas labelled as “affluent” – they’re whitewashed as “having it all” thanks to the average local income.
  • (19) Even before lanes were finished some cyclists squeezed between fences to use them, an unlucky few crashing into barriers marking the end of completed sections while riding at night.
  • (20) Given we'd have to make claims for at least four unrelated repairs a year to end up spending that £186 saving in excess payments (and, surely, we'd have to be really unlucky to need that many again), going for the Flexi option looks very attractive.