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 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."

Synonyms of hapless

• unfortunate
• unhappy
• luckless
• disastrous

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

With this introduction of a hapless protagonist not entirely managing to live her best life, Brett Haley‘s film cheerfully speaks both the literary and cinematic language of romantic comedy — and won’t seek to subvert or elevate it in the two hours that follow. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026

England only played one warm-up match before the series, against an England Lions team, while McCullum’s attack-minded philosophy has also been questioned amid a number of hapless dismissals during the series. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026

This competition reality show pits hapless home bakers against one another to complete two challenges per episode. —Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Jan. 2026

Throw out the Giants’ win over the hapless Raiders, who basically tanked it by shutting down Maxx Crosby before the game. —Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026

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

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Kids Definition

hapless

adjective

hap·​less ˈhap-ləs 

: having no luck : unfortunate

haplessly adverb

haplessness noun