by ill luck

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "by ill luck" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe an unfortunate situation or outcome that occurs due to bad luck. For example, "He missed the bus by ill luck and was late for the meeting." Alternative expressions include "by bad luck" and "through misfortune."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Dogged by ill luck (a broken rudder, a captain eaten by sharks) she never won a China race, but later made a packet as the fastest ship on the Australian wool run.

The Economist

By ill luck, Vikar has taken his hillside stroll on the morning after the Manson family slaughters, and his body art makes him look like Public Enemy No. 1.

The New York Times - Books

Her brother lies injured after a factory accident that, by ill luck, happened a year before the Employers' Liability Act was passed, and her sister is being beaten by her husband and cannot afford a divorce.

The Guardian - Books

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Clara represents a departure from many of Johnson's earlier heroines, women afflicted by ennui, ill luck, resentment, inertia and a host of other ills.

The New York Times - Books

It is a cruel irony that Adam Greenberg, whose achievements owed little to luck and everything to hard work, talent and determination, should have his career brutally thwarted, if not yet quite ended, by the ill luck of one errant pitch during his first at-bat as a major leaguer.

The New York Times

I, by some ill luck, owned the Goldman Sachs' brilliant prodigy and sniper's trashed laptop and had spent over a year trying to figure out how to do DIY interpol work from my East Village hovel.

Huffington Post

This is the view not that the Revolution mutated into the Terror by contingency and ill luck but that in some tragic sense the Revolution was the Terror: that the Terror was implicit in the entire rationalist program of starting over from Year One.

The New Yorker

"Then, by a stroke of ill luck, I lost it all…This, of course, is nothing extraordinary for Americans".

The Economist

It was pure luck, or ill luck.

The New York Times - Sports

But United's ill luck reared its head within two minutes of the kick-off when Juan Mata was denied a well-worked opener by the Chelsea crossbar.

Independent

The custom was meant to rid the place annually of ill luck.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "by ill luck" to emphasize that an event occurred because of an unfortunate series of circumstances, rather than as a result of someone's actions or decisions.

Common error

Avoid using "by ill luck" to excuse outcomes that are a direct result of poor planning, incompetence, or negligence. This phrase is most appropriate when circumstances beyond anyone's control lead to the unfortunate result.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "by ill luck" typically functions as an adverbial phrase. It modifies a verb or clause by indicating the reason or cause of an action or situation being unfortunate. Ludwig confirms this usage.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Encyclopedias

17%

Science

16%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "by ill luck" is a grammatically sound and relatively uncommon prepositional phrase used to attribute negative outcomes to unfortunate circumstances. As Ludwig confirms, it serves as an adverbial phrase to modify verbs or clauses, expressing regret or resignation. While it's recognized by Ludwig as correct, it's important to differentiate its use from situations of negligence. Authoritative sources such as The New York Times and The Economist employ the phrase, indicating its acceptance in formal writing. Alternative phrases, like "due to misfortune" or "because of bad luck", can offer more common ways to convey the same meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

due to misfortune

Replaces 'ill luck' with 'misfortune', focusing on the unfortunate circumstances.

because of bad luck

Substitutes 'ill' with 'bad', offering a more common phrasing for misfortune.

through misfortune

Emphasizes the experience as a result of unfortunate events.

as fate would have it

Introduces the element of destiny or fate affecting the situation.

owing to adverse circumstances

Replaces "ill luck" with a more formal expression that highlights difficult conditions.

victim of circumstance

Positions the subject as one who is affected by unlucky situation.

under unfavorable conditions

Highlights the negative conditions that contributed to unfortunate situation.

suffering from bad breaks

Uses the term "bad breaks" that describes an unfavorable incident.

through a twist of fate

Implies the role of fate in bringing about unexpected and unfortunate events.

unluckily

Expresses the unfortunate event directly and simply.

FAQs

How can I use "by ill luck" in a sentence?

You can use "by ill luck" to describe situations where something goes wrong due to unfortunate circumstances. For example, "By ill luck, the event was canceled due to the weather".

What's a more common way to say "by ill luck"?

A more common way to express the same idea is to say "because of bad luck" or "due to misfortune".

Is it grammatically correct to use "by ill luck" at the beginning of a sentence?

Yes, it is grammatically correct to start a sentence with "by ill luck". It functions as an introductory phrase, setting the stage for an unfortunate event or situation.

Can "by ill luck" be used to describe positive outcomes?

No, "by ill luck" is used to describe negative or unfortunate outcomes. To describe a positive outcome, you would use phrases like "by good fortune" or "by sheer luck".