schlimazel

or ��·��·��

[ shli-mah-zuhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Slang.

an inept, bungling person who suffers from unremitting bad luck:
That poor schlimazel failed the driver's test for the fourth time—if he's lucky enough to ever get his license, his car will probably die.

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of schlimazel¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from Yiddish, from shlim “bad, evil” (compare German schlimm “bad, evil, wrong”) + mazl “luck” (from Hebrew �� “constellation, destiny, luck”; mazel tov ( def ) )

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Ms. Williams and Marshall’s chant of “schlemiel, schlimazel” as they skipped together became a cultural phenomenon and oft-invoked piece of nostalgia.

From

In Yiddish, is he a schlemiel or a a schlimazel, eh?

From

“Unlike Menashe in the film, I’m not a schlimazel by nature. Maybe just a schlimazel by situation.”

From

Herzog is a comic figure, a holy fool, a schlimazel with a Ph.D.

From

schlieren method schlock

Browse