hapless

adjective

hap·​less ˈha-pləs 

: having no luck : unfortunate

tale of a hapless sailor

hapless beings caught in the grip of forces we can do little about

—W. H. Whyte

haplessly adverb

haplessness noun

Did you know?

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").

Synonyms

• hard-luck
• ill-fated
• ill-starred
• jinxed
• luckless
• snakebit
• snakebitten
• star-crossed
• unfortunate
• unhappy
• unlucky

Examples of hapless in a Sentence

She plays the hapless heroine who is unlucky in love.

the hapless motorist had barely paid his bill and driven away from the body shop when a truck sideswiped his car

Recent Examples on the Web

The problem for the hapless Rockies was that the Reds hit three homers to the Rockies’ two. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2025

The feds then demanded more and Armstrong is now gone, with hapless Columbia on its fourth president in less than two years. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025

With that impetus gone, women’s standards for romantic partners have skyrocketed, leaving these hapless men unable to get a girlfriend. —Constance Grady, Vox, 14 Apr. 2025

More on Brad Holland Brad Holland, 81, Dies; His Subversive Art Reinvented Illustration April 13, 2025 This particular assignment was to illustrate an essay by P.G. Wodehouse, the British author and humorist who created Jeeves, the consummate butler to the hapless Bertie Wooster. —Penelope Green, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English happelesse, from happe "luck, fortune, hap entry 1" + -lesse -less

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hapless

adjective

hap·​less ˈhap-ləs 

: having no luck : unfortunate

haplessly adverb

haplessness noun