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
If not, Clark and the Fever can secure their spot by beating the hapless Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Republicans and California Republicans relentlessly painted the city this week as an out of control war zone governed by hapless liberals.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025
On Wednesday, Bryan Cranston, who played the hapless dad Hal on the sitcom, explained why.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
First half debacle dooms hapless USMNT in 4-0 friendly loss to Switzerland.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Republicans and California Republicans relentlessly painted the city this week as an out of control war zone governed by hapless liberals.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2025
On Wednesday, Bryan Cranston, who played the hapless dad Hal on the sitcom, explained why.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2025
First half debacle dooms hapless USMNT in 4-0 friendly loss to Switzerland.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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Shakira does appear to be the beneficiary of an unintended consequence stemming from her unfortunate moves.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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The stern instructor displays a remarkable amount of patience as the student bashes the unfortunate victim against every solid surface in sight — even alien beings capable of traversing the cosmos can have bad days at the office.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The root of the fallout was the Who (and specifically Daltrey) being unhappy with Starkey’s performance when the band played a pair of Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
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On Friday, Devers alluded to being unhappy with how the Red Sox treated him.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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