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
Are these victims really just hapless fools with no idea they’re being duped into caring for alien eggs and hatchlings?
—
Nathan H. Lents, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2025
When darkness falls though, the parasite takes control once again, like some tiny werewolf night after night, until the hapless ant finally gets eaten.
—New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025
Bonus points, too, for excellent use of Donal Logue as the hapless chief of police.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Sarah Chalke is back as Rick's daughter Beth, Chris Parnell is his hapless son-in-law Jerry, and Spencer Grammer is his granddaughter Summer.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Nathan H. Lents, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2025
When darkness falls though, the parasite takes control once again, like some tiny werewolf night after night, until the hapless ant finally gets eaten.
—New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025
Bonus points, too, for excellent use of Donal Logue as the hapless chief of police.
—Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Sarah Chalke is back as Rick's daughter Beth, Chris Parnell is his hapless son-in-law Jerry, and Spencer Grammer is his granddaughter Summer.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hapless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hapless
Adjective
-
Such a difficult call really spotlighted for the first time how tough a situation he has been left in by Eddie Howe’s unfortunate absence (due to pneumonia).—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
-
In 2022, Manhattan Federal Judge Jed Rakoff, who presided over both trials, decided The Times was not liable for defamation while jurors were deliberating, that the error amounted to unfortunate editorializing but not libel.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Particularly now that Americans are unhappy with the state of economy.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Some 59% of voters are unhappy with how things are going in the country.—
Dana Blanton,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hapless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hapless. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share