hapless

adjective

hap·​less ˈha-pləs 

: 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").

Synonyms

• hard-luck
• ill-fated
• ill-starred
• jinxed
• luckless
• snakebit
• snakebitten
• star-crossed
• unfortunate
• unhappy
• unlucky

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

When darkness falls though, the parasite takes control once again, like some tiny werewolf night after night, until the hapless ant finally gets eaten. —New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025

Bonus points, too, for excellent use of Donal Logue as the hapless chief of police. —Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025

Sarah Chalke is back as Rick's daughter Beth, Chris Parnell is his hapless son-in-law Jerry, and Spencer Grammer is his granddaughter Summer. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025

The hapless loves do awaken some 2 1/2 hours into a 3 1/2-hour performance, becoming more serious, if not that much less superficial. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English happelesse, from happe "luck, fortune, hap entry 1" + -lesse -less

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hapless

adjective

hap·​less ˈhap-ləs 

: having no luck : unfortunate

haplessly adverb

haplessness noun