misadventure

Misadventure is an unfortunate event or accident, especially one that is unplanned and causes harm or loss. The term can describe a single incident as well as an overall unsuccessful undertaking or excursion. It is often used to emphasize circumstances beyond one’s control rather than fault or deliberate action.

Etymology traces misadventure to mis- meaning wrong or badly, combined with adventure from Old French aventure and ultimately from Latin adventura. The word appears in Middle English and has since found a place in formal, historical, and legal language.

In legal and official usage, misadventure denotes a death or injury caused by accident rather than by intentional harm or negligence. A verdict or finding of misadventure may appear on death certificates, coroners’ inquests, or historical records to distinguish accidental outcomes from homicide or other forms of fault.

In general prose, misadventure can also describe a failed or risky undertaking that ends poorly due to bad luck or unforeseen complications. For example, a journey or enterprise may be said to have ended in misadventure when it encounters unintended and undesirable consequences.

Related terms include mishap and accident, though misadventure often carries a connotation of fate, chance, or lack of control more than simple misfortune. The word remains primarily literary or formal in tone, rather than common everyday usage.