unfortunate
n. countablen. a person who is unlucky or has very little money. You often use this word when you want to sound polite or a bit formal while feeling sorry for someone.
n. a person who suffers from bad luck or poor circumstances. Often used in the plural to refer to a disadvantaged social group; can carry a tone of detached pity or mild humor depending on context.
The charity provides warm meals for the unfortunates in our city.
The storm left many unfortunates without a roof over their heads for several weeks.
Victorian literature often features a wealthy protagonist who spends their weekends distributing alms to the unfortunates of the local parish to ease their own conscience.
From un- + fortunate, doublet of infortunate.
Usually used in the plural form ('unfortunates') or as a collective noun ('the unfortunate').