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
Relevance
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
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
One feature of Spark’s comic genius is her ability to come up with screwball storylines that recapitulate our hapless drift toward final judgment.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
Later in the trailer, Heder’s hapless architect stubs his toe on one of the actor’s Oscar statuettes on the floor.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
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
One feature of Spark’s comic genius is her ability to come up with screwball storylines that recapitulate our hapless drift toward final judgment.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025
Later in the trailer, Heder’s hapless architect stubs his toe on one of the actor’s Oscar statuettes on the floor.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
-
This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This latest ‘oopsie’ also fits an unfortunate pattern.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Both Ways on Netflix The Lovebirds In the 2020 adventure comedy The Lovebirds, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play an unhappy couple on the brink of splitting up.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
-
But surveys have also shown many reservists are unhappy with the cabinet's plans, some openly accusing the government of lacking a cohesive strategy, a post-war plan for Gaza or a clear benchmark for victory.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share