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illfate

intermediateB2

/ɪlˈfeɪt/ · ill-fate

A bad or unfortunate fate; a destiny marked by misfortune, calamity, or doom.

Meanings

nounliterary

A bad or unfortunate fate; a destiny marked by misfortune, calamity, or doom.

بری یا بدقسمت تقدیر؛ وہ نصیب جو مصیبت، آفت یا تباہی سے بھرا ہو۔

بد قسمتی

bad qismati

Formal: تقدیرِ بدColloquial: بری قسمت

Synonyms

misfortuneill-luckbad luckcalamitydoomadversityبدنصیبیبدقسمتیمصیبتتباہیآفت

Antonyms

good fortuneluckblessingprosperityfelicityخوش بختیاقبالنعمتخوشحالیبرکت

Common Collocations

  • illfate of a nation
  • meet one's illfate
  • sealed by illfate
  • cursed illfate
  • illfate and sorrow

Example Sentences

The hero accepted his illfate with quiet dignity and grace.

ہیرو نے اپنی بد قسمتی کو خاموش وقار اور شائستگی کے ساتھ قبول کیا۔

Hero ne apni bad qismati ko khamosh waqaar aur shaistagi ke saath qabool kiya.

It seemed as though illfate had shadowed him from the very day of his birth.

ایسا لگتا تھا جیسے بد قسمتی اس کے پیدائش کے دن سے ہی اس کے پیچھے لگی ہو۔

Aisa lagta tha jaise bad qismati us ke paidaish ke din se hi us ke peeche lagi ho.

The village was struck by illfate when the floods destroyed all the crops.

گاؤں پر بد قسمتی آ پڑی جب سیلاب نے ساری فصلیں تباہ کر دیں۔

Gaon par bad qismati aa pari jab sailab ne saari faslen tabaah kar deen.

Easily Confused With

ill-fated:'ill-fated' is the more standard adjectival form meaning 'destined for misfortune', whereas 'illfate' is used as a noun referring to the misfortune or bad destiny itself.
misfortune:'misfortune' refers to a specific unfortunate event or circumstance, while 'illfate' implies a deeper, often inescapable destined doom.
fate:'fate' is neutral — it can be good or bad. 'Illfate' specifically denotes a negative, unfortunate destiny.
adjectiveliterary

Destined to fail, suffer, or meet with disaster; marked or characterized by bad fortune.

وہ شخص یا چیز جو ناکامی، تکلیف یا تباہی کی طرف مقدر ہو؛ بدقسمتی سے نشان زد۔

بدقسمت

bad qismat

Formal: تقدیرِ بد سے دوچارColloquial: بیچارہ

Synonyms

ill-fateddoomedunfortunatecursedlucklesshaplessبدنصیبمقدر کا مارابدبختملعونقسمت کا ستایا

Antonyms

fortunateblessedluckyfavoredprosperousخوش نصیبمبارکبختاورخوش بختمقبول

Common Collocations

  • illfate journey
  • illfate soul
  • illfate venture
  • illfate expedition
  • illfate lovers

Example Sentences

The illfate traveler lost his way in the desert and was never found.

بدقسمت مسافر صحرا میں راستہ بھول گیا اور پھر کبھی نہیں ملا۔

Bad qismat musaafir sehra mein raasta bhool gaya aur phir kabhi nahi mila.

Their illfate romance became a legend whispered through generations.

ان کی بدقسمت محبت نسلوں تک سرگوشیوں میں بیان ہونے والی داستان بن گئی۔

Un ki bad qismat mohabbat naslon tak sargooshiyon mein bayaan hone wali daastaan ban gayi.

The illfate ship set sail on a stormy night and sank before dawn.

بدقسمت جہاز ایک طوفانی رات کو روانہ ہوا اور طلوعِ فجر سے پہلے ڈوب گیا۔

Bad qismat jahaaz ek toofaani raat ko rawana hua aur tulu-e-fajar se pehle doob gaya.

Easily Confused With

unfortunate:'unfortunate' is a general term for bad luck in specific circumstances, while 'illfate' as an adjective implies a profound, often irreversible destiny of misfortune.
wretched:'wretched' describes a state of misery or moral degradation, whereas 'illfate' focuses specifically on the role of destiny or fate in causing suffering.

Word Family

ill-fated
adjectiveبدقسمت، شومِ قسمت
fate
nounتقدیر، نصیب، قسمت
fateful
adjectiveتقدیر ساز، فیصلہ کن
ill
adjective / adverbبیمار / برا
ill-luck
nounبدقسمتی
fated
adjectiveمقدر میں لکھا ہوا
fatalism
nounجبریت، تقدیر پرستی

See Also

💡 Memory Tip

Break it down: 'ILL' (sick, bad) + 'FATE' (destiny). When your fate is 'ill' (sick/bad), you have an 'illfate' — a bad destiny. Think of a sick star that guides someone the wrong way.

Imagine a dark storm cloud hovering permanently over a single person, following them wherever they go — that shadow is their illfate, an inescapable bad destiny written in the sky above them.

✍️ Urdu Poetry

قسمت کا لکھا کون مٹا سکتا ہے یارو بد نصیبی کا بوجھ اٹھائے پھرتے ہیں ہم

Qismat ka likha kaun mita sakta hai yaaro Bad naseebi ka bojh uthaye phirte hain hum

Who can erase what fate has written, my friends? / We wander on, carrying the burden of our ill fortune.

Unknown, Unverified

* Poetry attribution is AI-generated and may require verification.

🗣️ Urdu Proverb

ہونی کو کون ٹال سکتا ہے

Honi ko kaun taal sakta hai

Who can avert what is destined to happen? (No one can escape their fate.)

📖 Etymology

Origin: Old English / Middle English "ill + fate" — 'ill' from Old Norse 'illr' meaning bad or evil; 'fate' from Latin 'fatum' meaning that which has been spoken or decreed

First known use: 15th century (as a compound concept; 'ill-fated' attested from the 17th century)

The compound 'illfate' (also written as 'ill fate' or seen in the adjectival form 'ill-fated') combines the Old Norse-derived 'ill' with the Latin-rooted 'fate'. The concept of bad fate has been a recurring theme in English literature from the Middle Ages onward. 'Ill-fated' appears widely in classical English poetry and drama to describe persons or ventures destined for doom. The unhyphenated and unspaced form 'illfate' is a variant compound usage, most often encountered in literary or archaic contexts.