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
Eduardo Rodriguez came within two outs of his first major league complete game, Ryan Waldschmidt had his first three big league RBIs and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the hapless New York Mets 5-1 on Sunday.
—
Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 10 May 2026
Bernthal, who plays Sonny, has his own wayward machismo and hapless sensitivity, the very qualities that made Al Pacino unforgettable in the role of the bungling bandit with a Catholic conscience.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
This choice entangles Iris with Geoff and his father, a kind of archivist for a shadowy secret society, and a hapless man.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
The actress' turn to OnlyFans recontextualizes Elizabeth's partially nude role in the 1999 raunchy teen comedy, as Nadia is recorded via webcam by hapless admirer Jim (Jason Biggs), without her knowledge, in an encounter that spirals into live spectacle.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 10 May 2026
Bernthal, who plays Sonny, has his own wayward machismo and hapless sensitivity, the very qualities that made Al Pacino unforgettable in the role of the bungling bandit with a Catholic conscience.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
This choice entangles Iris with Geoff and his father, a kind of archivist for a shadowy secret society, and a hapless man.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
The actress' turn to OnlyFans recontextualizes Elizabeth's partially nude role in the 1999 raunchy teen comedy, as Nadia is recorded via webcam by hapless admirer Jim (Jason Biggs), without her knowledge, in an encounter that spirals into live spectacle.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
-
However, Cincinnati and Washington have been done in by unfortunate injuries and organizational disorder.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
The unfortunate problem is that, like most other things, the system can be gamed—people could submit flawed content that lists people as authors who have never been involved.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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With the Mets taking a 2-1 lead, Rodón, clearly unhappy, appeared to curse at himself as Austin Wells patted him on the shoulder.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2026
-
Janet reportedly attended an early private screening of the rough cut of the film and walked away pretty unhappy.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Vasyanovych plays Roman, a luckless director who’s out of work and trying to shoot his latest film in a country whose dwindling population is still traumatized by the war.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Stearns had nothing to do with any of them — and everything to do with the disastrous offseason that made the Mets the worst team in baseball for most of April.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
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Based on a script by Justin Varava that made the 2024 Black List, Turpentine follows a deadbeat son who hires friends to rob his own parents to pay off a bookie, with disastrous results.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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