Standard Lemma guide

mishap

noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɪshæp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /mɪsˈhæp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æp
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH1 S HH AE2 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An accident, mistake, or problem.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Since the mishap with the banana peel, he watches his step.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: adversity, contretemps

Antonyms: fortuity

2

noun

Meaning 2

Ill luck; misfortune; mischance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: adversity, misluck, adverseness, bad cess, bad luck, disadventure, hard luck, ill luck, misadventure, mischance, misfortune, mishap, tough luck, unfortunateness, unluck, unluckiness

Antonyms: goodhap

3

verb

Meaning 3

To happen through misfortune; to mishappen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

an instance of misfortune

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: misadventure, mischance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: misfortune, bad luck

Narrower terms: accident, near miss, derailment, ground loop, puncture, slip, trip, crash

5

noun

Meaning 5

an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bad luck, mischance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: luck, fortune, chance, hazard

History

Etymology

From Middle English mishap, myshappe, myssehappe, equivalent to mis- + hap.

From Middle English mishappen, equivalent to mis- + hap.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: злополука (zlopoluka) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Bulgarian: лош късмет (loš kǎsmet) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Catalan: accident — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Chinese Mandarin: 閃失 /闪失 (shǎnshī) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Chinese Mandarin: 意外 (yìwài) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Dutch: ongeluk — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Dutch: vergissing — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Dutch: probleem — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Dutch: pech — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Finnish: kommellus — accident, mistake, or problem
  • French: erreur — accident, mistake, or problem
  • French: accident — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Galician: empeno — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Galician: esquencia — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Galician: amoladela — accident, mistake, or problem
  • German: Missgeschick — accident, mistake, or problem
  • German: kleine Ungeschicktheit — accident, mistake, or problem
  • German: kleines Unglück — accident, mistake, or problem
  • German: Malheur — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ancient Greek: συμφορά (sumphorá) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ancient Greek: δυσημερία (dusēmería) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ancient Greek: σύμπτωμα (súmptōma) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ingrian: vahinko — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ingrian: sormus — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Irish: taisme — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Italian: contrattempo — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Italian: incidente — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Japanese: 不運 (fuun) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Khmer: គ្រោះ (krʊəh) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Latin: cāsus — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Latin: cassus — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Polish: nieszczęście — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Polish: niepowodzenie — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Portuguese: acidente — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Russian: несча́стье (nesčástʹje) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Russian: неуда́ча (neudáča) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Spanish: percance — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Swedish: missöde — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Turkish: aksilik — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Turkish: kaza — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Turkish: talihsizlik — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ottoman Turkish: قضا (kaza) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Ottoman Turkish: عارضه (ʼarıza) — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Vietnamese: nạn — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Welsh: damwain — accident, mistake, or problem
  • Welsh: anffawd — accident, mistake, or problem
  • French: malheur — ill-luck; misfortune; mischance
  • Vietnamese: nạn — ill-luck; misfortune; mischance
  • Vietnamese: xui — ill-luck; misfortune; mischance
  • Vietnamese: rủi — ill-luck; misfortune; mischance