French word

malheur

Pronunciation

IPA/malœʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounbad luck

Example

Quel malheur, il a raté le train.

What bad luck that he missed the train.

Illustration for malheur (bad luck)

More examples

Il a eu le malheur de perdre son portefeuille en voyage.

He had the misfortune to lose his wallet while traveling.

Core concept

An unwelcome turn of events that leaves someone facing trouble, loss, or disappointment.

Common phrases

  • Quel malheur

    What a misfortune

  • avoir le malheur de

    to have the misfortune to ___

Similar words

dommage: A disappointing event in which expectations are not fulfilled.
pas de chance: A state of bad luck in which things do not go well.
coup dur: A sudden major blow that affects daily life or planned activities.
malchance: Being unlucky and experiencing misfortune.

Definition in French

Événement fâcheux provoquant peine, perte ou contrariété, généralement perçu comme dû à la malchance.

Word origin

The noun is built from mal-, meaning "bad", and Old French heur, meaning "luck" or "fortune", so its form contrasts bad luck with good fortune.

Usage tips

  • Avoir le malheur de presents an action as an unfortunate one and often means "to have the misfortune to" do something.

Other meanings

  • unhappinessnoun
  • disasternoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word