French word

malheureusement

Pronunciation

IPA/maløʁøzəmɑ̃/

Meaning

  • adverbunfortunately

Example

Je suis malheureusement en retard.

Unfortunately, I am late.

Illustration for malheureusement (unfortunately)

More examples

Malheureusement, il pleut aujourd'hui.

Unfortunately, it is raining today.

Core concept

A factual sentence carrying a note of regret about what happened.

Common phrases

  • malheureusement pour lui

    unfortunately for him

  • malheureusement pour nous

    unfortunately for us

  • malheureusement pour elle

    unfortunately for her

Similar words

hélas: A brief expression of sorrow about a disappointing result or misfortune.
tant pis: A brief expression of resignation when a hoped-for outcome will not happen.

Definition in French

S'utilise pour annoncer une information défavorable ou exprimer un regret par rapport à une action ou une situation.

Word origin

The adverb malheureusement is built from malheureux, meaning unfortunate, by adding the productive French suffix -ment for adverbs.

Usage tips

  • Malheureusement reports an unwanted result without necessarily expressing strong emotion, so it differs from expressions that directly show surprise or sympathy.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word