What's the difference between luck and unlucky?

Luck


Definition:

  • (n.) That which happens to a person; an event, good or ill, affecting one's interests or happiness, and which is deemed casual; a course or series of such events regarded as occurring by chance; chance; hap; fate; fortune; often, one's habitual or characteristic fortune; as, good, bad, ill, or hard luck. Luck is often used for good luck; as, luck is better than skill.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) As luck would have it, the outgoing Bartlet and his successor, Matt Santos, are currently dealing with a foreign crisis, too.
  • (2) We can inhabit only one version of being human – the only version that survives today – but what is fascinating is that palaeoanthropology shows us those other paths to becoming human, their successes and their eventual demise, whether through failure or just sheer bad luck.
  • (3) Obama will meet with Binyamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas tomorrow as well, but US envoy George Mitchell has had no luck in recent weeks trying to persuade Netanyahu to compromise on the settlements.
  • (4) Song appeared to give Bolt a good luck charm to wear around his wrist.
  • (5) I thought we rode our luck in the first 20 minutes here.
  • (6) Good luck, rather than good genes, may be the key reason why some people are protected from certain cancers while others develop the disease, according to a new study.
  • (7) I wish he and Rosemary all the luck in the world...They should know there is much to enjoy in life even if you have been forced out because of circumstances.
  • (8) He said his longevity in the face of multiple drug abuse over decades was just luck, and advised others not to follow his lead.
  • (9) His previous strokes of luck include being appointed chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the highest-paid quango boss in the UK, and being knighted for "services to regeneration" despite not being a Time Lord.
  • (10) Seth Smith makes the final out of the A's season, which is a good luck charm for the Boston Red Sox, as Smith made the final out for the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 World Series that Boston won.
  • (11) Thom Majka, a sales rep who keeps his Indians cap on through every game for good luck, said: “These fans couldn’t care less about the election.
  • (12) Hugh Pennington, a microbiology expert, said on Saturday that luck will play a role in Cafferkey’s survival chances because experts still do not know enough about the virus.
  • (13) A ccents from every state in the union can be heard as workers pour off the train each day in Williston, North Dakota, ready to try their luck as the welders, truck drivers, plumbers, oil rig roughnecks, frackers, water carriers and road crews required to support the booming fracking industry – but also as plumbers, lawyers, cooks, accountants and everything else it takes to build a rapidly burgeoning city.
  • (14) So a striker needs also a bit of luck and then the confidence is higher but he’s self-confident so I expect he shall score and maybe against Chelsea .” So far Van Persie has remained injury free, which is a fillip after previously admitting to managing persistent issues for years.
  • (15) If the Spaniard’s bad luck in hitting a post was expected, the sight of Stambouli, a lumbering figure in the first 45 minutes, confidently sweeping home the rebound certainly prompted a double take.
  • (16) So tough luck for my friend Jennifer, who wanted to take an HND in plastering and brickwork.
  • (17) Good luck telling your manager you fancy a day off.
  • (18) Photograph: Alamy You’ll hear the traditional dance music pulsing out everywhere from dark bars, and seeing it involves decisions or luck.
  • (19) You'll find this helpful: How to get into media Best of luck!
  • (20) If that was a stroke of luck Everton were even luckier in the second half, when Joe Allen made his contribution to derby folklore with what may well be the miss of the season.

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.