W. H. Whyte
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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
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
The clan of oddballs and down-and-outs has more than a little in common with the Kim family in Parasite, including Song as a hapless patriarch.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
While one side of the frame shows Pia racing to meet her mother at the bank, conveying her struggle as a hapless klutz, the other half displays a henna ceremony interstitial, elegantly establishing the beauty of tradition and community.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
While lying bloodied in the middle of the ring, a hapless Rhodes was slapped by Scott in the face.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hapless. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
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hapless
adjective
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