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
Hence, this nimble, propulsive movie, given a loose intimacy by Juan Sarmiento’s 16mm cinematography, proves to be oddly heartfelt when seemingly most cruel about Oscar’s hapless earnestness.
—
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Or the hapless sidekick (Jacob Batalon of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films) who is usually the brunt of the joke.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Remember Adam Lally, the hapless prosecutor in the first kangaroo-court trial of Karen Read.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
And the main thing that Yasmin has in common with her husband—the hapless aristocrat Henry Muck, played by Kit Harington—is their terrible fathers.
—Louis Staples, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Or the hapless sidekick (Jacob Batalon of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films) who is usually the brunt of the joke.
—Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 26 Jan. 2026
Remember Adam Lally, the hapless prosecutor in the first kangaroo-court trial of Karen Read.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
And the main thing that Yasmin has in common with her husband—the hapless aristocrat Henry Muck, played by Kit Harington—is their terrible fathers.
—Louis Staples, Glamour, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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And that’s how the forward ended up under a too-bright light at the end of this season, burdened with the unfortunate responsibility of being one of the few players the front office felt was worth investing in long term.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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After Ellis’ unfortunate and sudden passing in 1986, Marc Jacobs was named creative director of the brand in 1988.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Many people have a profound attachment to suffering and staying in unhappy relationships and so a lot of my work is trying to figure out why.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
10 Feb. 2026
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The day after the Super Bowl, some people are guaranteed to be unhappy.—
Mike Snider,
AZCentral.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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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However, despite his thin background, when the financial crisis of that decade broke out, Warsh was by all accounts knowledgeable and effective in the Fed’s efforts to prevent a disastrous meltdown of financial markets.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
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Political commentator Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and first-time candidate, made the argument to viewers that California’s problems have been caused by the disastrous policies of the people who have been in power during 16 years of one-party – Democratic party – rule.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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