# Is there a precise antonym for 'serendipity' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463 "2006-07-14T13:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/21 "2011-07-12T19:23:19Z")
The phrase “perfect storm” is used in this sense. A number of things coming together at just the right time to make a huge and devastating storm. I’ve heard the phrase applied to non-storm situations as well. It’s not an adjective, but we’re pretty loose in English about that. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/22 "2011-07-12T19:28:10Z")
seroutdipity? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/23 "2011-07-12T19:50:15Z")
Haplessness? ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/24 "2011-07-12T20:02:32Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > seroutdipity? :golf clap: This gets my vote! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/25 "2011-07-12T23:59:53Z")
Clusterfuck to me seems best, with perfect storm a close second. Perfect storm seems a little _too_ bad-eventy, and I don’t like that it became a buzzword so soon after the movie. I didnt know “vicissitude” implied negative consequence; I’ll OED that as soon as I can. Of course, clusterfuck is obscene. ::sigh:: ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/26 "2011-07-13T01:49:49Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > seroutdipity? > [@Toucanna](#): > > :golf clap: > This gets my vote! But ‘out’ isn’t the opposite of ‘en’ so in a similar vein how about serenbumpity. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/27 "2011-07-13T02:01:45Z")
Cursed. Or curséd? Ill fated? Trainwreck, snafu… not really what’s requested, maybe, but tryin’ to come up with ideas here. But it’s turning into a real Katrina, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/28 "2011-07-13T02:16:09Z")
> [@Civil\_Guy](#): > > Cursed. Or curséd? Ill fated? > > Trainwreck, snafu… not really what’s requested, maybe, but tryin’ to come up with ideas here. > > But it’s turning into a real Katrina, huh? Trainwreck’s good. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/29 "2011-07-13T02:18:50Z")
> [@bluezooky](#): > > “zemblanity” I’m probably addressing a zombie, but does this refer to Zembla, in Nabakov’s Pale Fire? ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/30 "2011-07-13T03:30:41Z")
Fate, maybe? Especially in the Greek tragedy sense. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/31 "2011-07-13T06:48:35Z")
In D&D, rolling a 1 on a D20 is called a “critical failure”, often shorted to crit-fail. Then there’s the Internet meme of Epic Fail, though it doesn’t really include the idea of chance or randomness. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463/32 "2011-07-13T07:19:38Z")
When in doubt, steal from the French. _merde_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-precise-antonym-for-serendipity/364463.md?page=1)