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.

The arrangement is a win for outgoing President Joe Biden, who has followed a hapless policy course through a calamitous year for the Middle East. —

Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2024 No one has ever described playing the hapless Senators as being remarkably difficult. —

Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30, New York Giants 7: The Buccaneers steamrolled the hapless Giants, and Baker Mayfield rubbed it in by mimicking Tommy DeVito's signature celebration. —

Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024 After a delightful twist that saw our favourite hapless expat relocate to Rome, Netflix has confirmed that Darren Star’s frothy romp will be back for a fifth outing. —

Radhika Seth, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hapless