hapless

adjective

ˈha-pləs How to pronounce hapless (audio)
Definition of haplessnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hapless Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, may soon take over from the hapless incumbent, Sir Keir Starmer. — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 The hapless Qataris were reduced to nine players because of red cards in the chaotic match. — Mark Hodge, NBC news, 19 June 2026 In a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, friends likened my outfit to that of Meredith Blake, the hapless fiancée in The Parent Trap. — C Pam Zhang, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2026 Bargatze likes to be the butt of the joke, casting himself as the hapless but well-meaning dad who can barely keep track of his day-to-day needs. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
  1. unfortunate
  2. unhappy
  3. luckless
  4. disastrous
Adjective
  • No, this unfortunate moniker represents the lack of attention to and awareness of the disease.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Typically, when rookies put up gaudy numbers in Las Vegas, their stats are accompanied by unfortunate shooting percentages or a bevy of turnovers, but that wasn’t the case for Burries.
    — Eric Nehm, New York Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Brigitte Bardot, a very unhappy wife, is the Penelope stand-in.
    — Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 14 July 2026
  • Given the players’ high-profile status, there is a giant spotlight on the process, with plenty of unhappy fans questioning why the SEC determined both moves were made for athletic purposes.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 July 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • The luckless Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu were forced to pull out before their first-round matches because of injury, while only four of the 19 home singles players even won a match.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 July 2026
  • The one in which his tiny team of negotiators surrendered to the radicals ruling that luckless nation.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Definition of luckless
Adjective
  • Hopefully that comes with less disastrous results than Bear’s wish.
    — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • If a presidential administration were to decide that research in a specific area was no longer important for political reasons, that could have disastrous consequences for our nation.
    — Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026
Definition of disastrous

Browse Nearby Words

haphazardry
hapless
happed
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Cite this Entry

“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of hapless for Spanish Speakers

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