as in unfortunate
having, prone to, or marked by bad luck
the hapless motorist had barely paid his bill and driven away from the body shop when a truck sideswiped his car
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Recent Examples of hapless
Interspersed with present-day scenes are flashbacks to the protagonist’s childhood, with special attention paid toward her kind and hapless father, a factory worker.
—
Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
The scientist, more hapless than mad, must retrieve Stitch in the name of the United Galactic Federation (Hannah Waddingham voices the imperious leader).
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
And the third — which stars John Mulaney as a corrupt FBI agent, Rhea Perlman as mob boss Beatrix Hasp, and Richard Kind as her hapless husband who just wants to make his panino in peace thank you very much — ends in a game-changing shocker.
—EW.com, 13 May 2025
Black, who managed the San Diego Padres for eight-plus seasons before lasting another eight-plus seasons with the mostly hapless Rockies, boasts his own coaching tree.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
The scientist, more hapless than mad, must retrieve Stitch in the name of the United Galactic Federation (Hannah Waddingham voices the imperious leader).
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
And the third — which stars John Mulaney as a corrupt FBI agent, Rhea Perlman as mob boss Beatrix Hasp, and Richard Kind as her hapless husband who just wants to make his panino in peace thank you very much — ends in a game-changing shocker.
—EW.com, 13 May 2025
Black, who managed the San Diego Padres for eight-plus seasons before lasting another eight-plus seasons with the mostly hapless Rockies, boasts his own coaching tree.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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The timing of Correa’s five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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This is especially unfortunate because the plot itself is quite harrowing.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Reports suggested that Daltrey was unhappy with Starkey’s playing on the night, and a number of songs were cut short.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
29 May 2025
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Netflix In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that the massive success following 'Wednesday' actually left her unhappy.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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