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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Recent Examples of hapless
Interspersed with present-day scenes are flashbacks to the protagonist’s childhood, with special attention paid toward her kind and hapless father, a factory worker.
—
Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
The scientist, more hapless than mad, must retrieve Stitch in the name of the United Galactic Federation (Hannah Waddingham voices the imperious leader).
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
And the third — which stars John Mulaney as a corrupt FBI agent, Rhea Perlman as mob boss Beatrix Hasp, and Richard Kind as her hapless husband who just wants to make his panino in peace thank you very much — ends in a game-changing shocker.
—EW.com, 13 May 2025
Black, who managed the San Diego Padres for eight-plus seasons before lasting another eight-plus seasons with the mostly hapless Rockies, boasts his own coaching tree.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
The scientist, more hapless than mad, must retrieve Stitch in the name of the United Galactic Federation (Hannah Waddingham voices the imperious leader).
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025
And the third — which stars John Mulaney as a corrupt FBI agent, Rhea Perlman as mob boss Beatrix Hasp, and Richard Kind as her hapless husband who just wants to make his panino in peace thank you very much — ends in a game-changing shocker.
—EW.com, 13 May 2025
Black, who managed the San Diego Padres for eight-plus seasons before lasting another eight-plus seasons with the mostly hapless Rockies, boasts his own coaching tree.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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An unfortunate series of events in the eighth inning led to the Brewers going up 3-1.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2025
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The polished old pro bent time and space, keeping the unfortunate new work to a minimum and running through his hits, reliving, nearly chronologically, the thrill of experiencing his catalog all over again at a speed run.—
Abe Beame,
Rolling Stone,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, the more fiscally conservative Senate is increasingly unhappy with the cost of the bill, which is estimated to add $3.1 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Trump is unhappy with Musk’s outburst, but Republicans are downplaying the effect on their agenda bill Trump confirmed their relationship has soured, with Musk repeatedly blasting the president’s sweeping domestic agenda bill in recent days and a public fight on social media on Thursday.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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