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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 Joining Ben Stiller’s hapless Greg Focker and Robert De Niro’s gruff Jack Byrnes as the next-generation taker of the lie-detector test is the singular Ariana Grande, whose comedy bona fides are of course on full display. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 This goes all kinds of wrong, setting off a viral brouhaha and turning the hapless Owen into an unwitting pariah. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026 His siblings were aghast to see Ralph depicted as the hapless poor dad in the book. — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026 Next, how would the hapless interventions described above shrink prices that are an effect of incredibly sophisticated global cooperation? — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
  1. unfortunate
  2. unhappy
  3. luckless
  4. disastrous
Adjective
  • One of these evils had the mass murder of civilians as its intended goal; the other claims that its victims are unfortunate accidents.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But those who get too close risk far more than a soaking, as Niagara is a graveyard for the reckless, the unfortunate and the desperate.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • But when an oblong ball hits the turf, there’s often an equal chance the other team will recover, so Harbaugh was predictably unhappy with his team’s four fumbles against Dallas.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • There's also the daunting task of keeping young conservatives engaged at a time when many of them are unhappy with party leaders.
    — Elena Moore, NPR, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of unhappy
Adjective
  • During these walking meditations my notebook starts to feel suspiciously similar to the luckless young climber’s selfie camera.
    — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026
  • This year, the final was between Kerry, historically the sport’s most successful side, and Mayo, one of Ireland’s smaller counties by population and, in football terms, the most luckless.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 27 July 2026
Definition of luckless
Adjective
  • The agency might even take the opportunity to completely redesign the disastrous Ashland, Armitage and Elston Avenue intersection and save generations of Chicagoans the headache of spending 15 minutes navigating through a single stoplight.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Where his focus has been following the Dolphins’ special team unit’s disastrous performance in Miami’s 27-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders is patching the leaks that led to three massive returns to the Raiders and a missing a field-goal attempt.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2026.

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