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
The fight will take place in the stadium where the gloriously hapless Dallas Cowboys play.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2025
Feathers is a mute who serves as an intimidating antagonist, far more cunning than the hapless Wallace, but the intellectual equal to Gromit.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Colin Farrell does career-best work as a hapless Irishman who discovers that his best friend, played by Brendan Gleeson, doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14: The Bills clobbered the hapless Jets − who sent Aaron Rodgers to the bench in favor of Tyrod Taylor in the fourth quarter − and clinched the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hapless 
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 10 Jan. 2025
Feathers is a mute who serves as an intimidating antagonist, far more cunning than the hapless Wallace, but the intellectual equal to Gromit.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Colin Farrell does career-best work as a hapless Irishman who discovers that his best friend, played by Brendan Gleeson, doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14: The Bills clobbered the hapless Jets − who sent Aaron Rodgers to the bench in favor of Tyrod Taylor in the fourth quarter − and clinched the AFC's No. 2 playoff seed.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hapless
Thesaurus Entries Near hapless
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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