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
Charlie Brown is a hapless loser, and Bernard Mergendeiler, one of Feiffer’s recurring characters, is a hopeless schlemiel—a grown-up, Jewish Charlie Brown.
—
Art Spiegelman, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
The Soviet Union covered its mistake by renaming the spacecraft: instead of becoming one of the Venera missions to Venus, the hapless spacecraft was designed Kosmos, the USSR’s catchall for its spacecraft in Earth orbit.
—Kiona N. Smith, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
But all that has only fortified a character who went from hapless brother-in-law to inarguably the most evolved one of the bunch.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
More on Brad Holland Brad Holland, 81, Dies; His Subversive Art Reinvented Illustration
April 13, 2025
This particular assignment was to illustrate an essay by P.G. Wodehouse, the British author and humorist who created Jeeves, the consummate butler to the hapless Bertie Wooster.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Art Spiegelman, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2025
The Soviet Union covered its mistake by renaming the spacecraft: instead of becoming one of the Venera missions to Venus, the hapless spacecraft was designed Kosmos, the USSR’s catchall for its spacecraft in Earth orbit.
—Kiona N. Smith, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
But all that has only fortified a character who went from hapless brother-in-law to inarguably the most evolved one of the bunch.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
More on Brad Holland Brad Holland, 81, Dies; His Subversive Art Reinvented Illustration
April 13, 2025
This particular assignment was to illustrate an essay by P.G. Wodehouse, the British author and humorist who created Jeeves, the consummate butler to the hapless Bertie Wooster.
—Penelope Green, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
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The timing of Correa’s five-game absence for a concussion sustained in Baltimore on May 15 was unfortunate.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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This is especially unfortunate because the plot itself is quite harrowing.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Reports suggested that Daltrey was unhappy with Starkey’s playing on the night, and a number of songs were cut short.—
Thomas Smith,
Billboard,
29 May 2025
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Netflix In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Ortega revealed that the massive success following 'Wednesday' actually left her unhappy.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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