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
Golden State was coming off a scrappy victory over hapless Washington, snapping a five-game losing streak.
—
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2026
Only the impassioned importuning of the Jewish Queen Esther persuaded her husband, the hapless King Ahaseurus, to thwart Haman’s plans and eliminate the threat to the Jewish people.
—Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
This inaction, not just in January but over several transfer windows and key junctures, is more to blame for the collapse at the Metropolitano on Tuesday than the hapless Tudor’s choice to give Kinsky a go.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
In fact, the obsequious Barack Obama and the hapless Joe Biden helped Iran by sending in plane loads of cash to the murdering mullahs in exchange for nothing.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2026
Only the impassioned importuning of the Jewish Queen Esther persuaded her husband, the hapless King Ahaseurus, to thwart Haman’s plans and eliminate the threat to the Jewish people.
—Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
This inaction, not just in January but over several transfer windows and key junctures, is more to blame for the collapse at the Metropolitano on Tuesday than the hapless Tudor’s choice to give Kinsky a go.
—Elias Burke, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
In fact, the obsequious Barack Obama and the hapless Joe Biden helped Iran by sending in plane loads of cash to the murdering mullahs in exchange for nothing.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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The Russian ambassador to Libya hung out in my room, as did a Russian kid named Konstantin with an unfortunate stutter and endearing affection for the American rock band Metallica.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
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The film is a Hulu release, continuing the rather unfortunate trend of comedy no longer being the box office powerhouse it once was.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The 28-year-old receiver is reportedly unhappy with his situation in Philadelphia, despite winning a Super Bowl a little over a year ago.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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But there may be an answer, or at least a compromise that will satisfy those unhappy with the idea of destroying a usable building.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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
Adjective
-
Trailing by three after a disastrous first period, the Sharks got goals from Nick Leddy and Macklin Celebrini in the second period, and a nifty third-period goal from Alex Wennberg to tie the game and bring the capacity crowd at SAP Center to life.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
5 Apr. 2026
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The regular sight of US citizens paraded in Iran was disastrous for former President Jimmy Carter.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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