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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hapless
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
Unfortunately, the bird refused to budge, leaving the hapless ginger feline clinging for dear life to the upper rafters of the umbrella, stretched out and facing a painful descent.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
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
Unfortunately, the bird refused to budge, leaving the hapless ginger feline clinging for dear life to the upper rafters of the umbrella, stretched out and facing a painful descent.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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Therefore, there are some unfortunate parallels between young Gen Z needing to sacrifice wages due to wavering job opportunities and millennials graduating into the Great Recession.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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In today's volatile business climate, layoffs have become an unfortunate reality across industries.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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My research team works hard to keep the email addresses up to date, but executives keep changing their addresses to avoid having to deal with unhappy customers.—
Christopher Elliott,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
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But few seemed to leave unhappy.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Vasyanovych plays Roman, a luckless director who’s out of work and trying to shoot his latest film in a country whose dwindling population is still traumatized by the war.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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