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

• unfortunate
• unhappy
• luckless

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

Hawley waited until the start of the fifth season to lean all the way into the comparison, by borrowing the movie’s inciting incident where a Minnesota Nice housewife is kidnapped by two goons — one hapless, one relentless and seemingly mystical. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025

Gary Riley’s most recognizable film role is Charlie Hogan, Billy’s hapless accomplice in Stand by Me. —Sezin Devi Koehler September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

In Honey Don’t, Honey finishes beating up one in a long string of men who are hapless, cruel, or both. —Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 26 Aug. 2025

This is what hapless President Joe Biden suggested back in 2022 before Russia, in an outward act of aggression, invaded Ukraine. —Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 21 Aug. 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

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Kids Definition

hapless

adjective

hap·​less ˈhap-ləs 

: having no luck : unfortunate

haplessly adverb

haplessness noun