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Synonyms

hapless

American  
[hap-lis] / ˈhæp lɪs /

adjective

  1. unlucky; luckless; unfortunate.

    Synonyms:
    pitiable, pathetic, forlorn, wretched, woebegone, miserable, miserable
hapless British  
/ ˈhæplɪs /

adjective

  1. unfortunate; wretched

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • haplessly adverb
  • haplessness noun

Etymology

Origin of hapless

First recorded in 1560–70; hap 1 + -less

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A week later they were dominant in going 21-0 ahead against Argentina and then hapless in conceding 33 points in the second half and losing.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

The new ads reunite Justin Long, who embodied a hip Mac laptop in Apple’s commercials, with John Hodgman, who played a hapless PC.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Ellis Genge showed his England quality to help Bristol rout hapless Harlequins 40-14 at Twickenham.

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

Mr. McGuane’s hapless heroes are local politicians, insurance salesmen, small-town lawyers and other workaday hustlers intent on “getting somewhere among people going nowhere.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

I cut and ran toward the haystack, pounding past my hapless brother.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.