Synonyms of hapless

hapless

adjective

ˈha-pləs 

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

• unfortunate
• unhappy
• luckless
• disastrous
• hard-luck
• unlucky
• catastrophic
• doomed
• unfavorable
• ill-fated
• ill-starred
• star-crossed
• adverse
• tragic
• jinxed
• snakebit
• damned
• inauspicious
• unpromising
• calamitous
• ill
• accursed
• untoward

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• happy
• lucky
• fortunate
• privileged
• gifted
• favored
• favorable
• promising
• golden
• fair
• blessed
• propitious
• auspicious

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hapless

Rather than trying to get past security and plant malware on your system, phishing sites do their best to trick you, the hapless user, into giving away your credentials. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026

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

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