W. H. Whyte
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Hapless means exactly what you'd expect it to mean: "without hap"—hap being another word for fortune or luck. Hap comes from the Old Norse word for "good luck," which is also the source of 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"). Hapless is often imbued with a touch of pity, humor, or both for those to whom it refers, as in "a hapless goalie who couldn't block a shot to save his life."
Examples of hapless in a Sentence
Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
There was quiet affirmation sprinkled throughout this game that Vance Joseph's defense can and will keep the Broncos afloat in the playoff race, no matter how hapless their offense remains.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Sep. 2025
As impassioned calls grow across social media to boycott Disney and ABC over the indefinite suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and some other hapless celebrities appear to have been been hit with a case of very bad timing.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Second, its main characters, David and Sarah, are nowhere near as tangible as Joel and Clementine, the hapless lovers in the 2004 Michel Gondry classic.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 16 Sep. 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 26 Sep. 2025.
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hapless
adjective
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