hapless

adjective

hap·less ˈha-pləs

Synonyms of hapless next

: having no luck : unfortunate

tale of a hapless sailor

hapless beings caught in the grip of forces we can do little about—

W. H. Whyte

haplessly adverb

haplessness noun

Did you know?

Hapless literally means what you'd expect it to mean: "without hap"—hap being another word for fortune or luck. Hap derives from the Old Norse word for "good luck," a word that is also the source of our happen and happy. English has several words to describe those lacking good fortune, including ill-starred, ill-fated, unlucky, and luckless, a word formed in parallel to hapless by adding the suffix -less. Ill-starred suggests bringing calamity or the threat of a terrible fate ("the ill-starred year the Great Depression began"). Ill-fated refers only to being doomed ("the ill-fated voyage of the Titanic"). Unlucky and luckless usually apply to a person or thing notably or chronically unfortunate ("an unlucky slots player," "some luckless investors swindled in the deal").

Examples of hapless in a Sentence

She plays the hapless heroine who is unlucky in love. the hapless motorist had barely paid his bill and driven away from the body shop when a truck sideswiped his car

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Your upcoming home game against the hapless Wizards? —

Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Dec. 2024 With Kirk Cousins's struggles at quarterback made plain to see on Monday Night Football in an Atlanta win over the hapless Raiders, Falcons coach Raheem Morris announced on Tuesday night that first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. is the new starting quarterback for his team moving forward. —

Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024 Minnesota Vikings 12, Jacksonville Jaguars 7: The Vikings overcame three interceptions from vagabond quarterback Sam Darnold and not scoring a single touchdown to get an ugly win over the hapless Jaguars. —

Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 11 Nov. 2024 Advertisement Walker Buehler took it from there, his season-long comeback complete with five shutout innings that was sparked with a strikeout of the hapless Judge in the first. —

Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hapless