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

That puts them above Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the hapless bottom three, who have failed to mount a similar level of improvement despite two of them changing managers as Wolves did. —Steve Madeley, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025

Amid the twinkling grandeur of the cosmos, two hapless astronauts are fumbling crucial tasks: docking into a space station; adjusting the angle of satellite dishes; keeping their plants alive. —Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025

Eddie Barrish, the financially desperate, hapless criminal in this high-concept thriller, is played by Bill Skarsgard, who for once is on the receiving end of evil. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2025

The Northern Irishman finished the three-hole playoff one-over par to ease past a hapless Spaun, who endured a nightmare morning to finish on four-over par through 16, 17 and 18. —Matias Grez, CNN, 17 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