The ancient city's repeated misfortunes, including earthquakes and fires, gradually erased its former grandeur.
这座古城接连遭受的灾难，包括地震和火灾，逐渐抹去了它昔日的辉煌。
Which choice best defines “misfortune”?
B — Bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event. “misfortune” means bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event.
Which word means “bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event”?
D — misfortune. “misfortune” means bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event.
misfortune — bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event. In Chinese: 不幸，厄运.
misfortune is pronounced /ˌmɪsˈfɔːrtʃən/.
The ancient city's repeated misfortunes, including earthquakes and fires, gradually erased its former grandeur. (这座古城接连遭受的灾难，包括地震和火灾，逐渐抹去了它昔日的辉煌。)
adversity, mishap, calamity — all close in meaning to misfortune (bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event).
fortune, blessing — each the opposite of misfortune (bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event).
Yes. misfortune is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.