W. H. Whyte
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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."
Examples of hapless in a Sentence
The Week Us, TheWeek, 27 May 2026
That lucky break means Katie’s cute but hapless husband, Nate Wilcox (Bargatze), suddenly has to step back from his role as Salesman of the Year at a local Toyota dealership, too.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 May 2026
His therapist, Mary Kline (Reinsve), is eventually drawn into the space too, as are his hapless store employees.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
Standing at 6 feet 8 inches in heels, Evans towers above cast members including Stephanie Hsu, Juliette Lewis, Harvey Guillén and more, as the mad scientist and head of a paranormal household that has welcomed in two hapless strangers during a rainstorm.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hapless. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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hapless
adjective
