Meanings
plural schlimazels · alternative schlemazel · alternative schlemozzle · alternative schlimazl · alternative shlimazel · alternative shlimazl · alternative shlemozzle
- UScolloquialA chronically unlucky person.
I must have pressed two buttons at once, he decided; jammed the works and got this schlimazl’s eye view of reality.
1962, Philip K. Dick, “The Man in the High Castle”, in Four Novels of the 1960s, Library of America, published 2007, page 462 more examples
On Jewish Heritage Day, there was ample time to debate whether the Mets are schlemiels or schlimazels with the home team down 8-1 after five. Fans were given shirts that read “Let’s Go Mets” in Hebrew, but “Oy vey!” was more appropriate.
2004 August 30, Michael Morrissey, “METS GET SLAMMED AGAIN – VENTURA GRANNY KEYS DODGER ROUT”, in New York PostHertz is an early contender for Wall Street’s schlimazel of the decade, the big unlucky lemon that just can’t seem to get anything right.
2024 May 16, “Who Wants 30,000 Used Teslas?”, in Intelligencer, retrieved 16 May 2024
Synonyms & antonyms
noun(Yiddish) a very unlucky or inept person who fails at everything
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Hebrewמזל“luck”
- Middle High Germanslim“crooked”
- Yiddishשלימזל
- Englishschlimazel
Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl), from Middle High German slim (“crooked”) and Hebrew מזל (mazzāl, “luck”)
More words from Yiddish, Middle High German, Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish ulykkesfugl
- ulykkesfugla chronically unlucky person
Dutch pechvogel, schlemiel
- pechvogela chronically unlucky person
- schlemiela chronically unlucky person
German Pechvogel
- Pechvogela chronically unlucky person
Greek γρουσούζης, γκαντέμης
- γρουσούζης (grousoúzis)a chronically unlucky person
- γκαντέμης (gkantémis)a chronically unlucky person
Italian sfigato
- sfigatoa chronically unlucky person
Polish sierota, pechowiec
- sierotaa chronically unlucky person
- pechowieca chronically unlucky person
- nieudacznika chronically unlucky person
Spanish gafe
- gafea chronically unlucky person
Yiddish שלימזל
- שלימזל (shlimazl)a chronically unlucky person
Cite this entry
schlimazel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/schlimazel
“schlimazel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/schlimazel. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “schlimazel,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/schlimazel.
Source: schlimazel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.