sad sack

American  

noun

Slang.

1. a pathetically inept person, especially a soldier, who continually blunders in spite of good intentions.

---

sad sack British  

noun

1. slang an inept person who makes mistakes despite good intentions

---

sad sack Idioms  

1. A singularly inept person, as in Poor George is a hopeless sad sack. This term alludes to a cartoon character, Sad Sack, invented by George Baker in 1942 and representing a soldier in ill-fitting uniform who failed at whatever he tried to do. It was soon transferred to clumsily inept civilians.

---

Other Word Forms

• sad-sack
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sad sack

After the cartoon character created in 1942 by U.S. cartoonist George Baker (1915–75)

Example Sentences

The Chargers are a sad sack organization that will never build a team worthy of a talent like Herbert.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2023

Would that Christmas sad sack be hosting a cooking show on TikTok?

From Seattle Times • Nov. 6, 2023

The younger Hoffman’s messy hair and hangdog face do little to explain why, exactly, Sam is such a sad sack.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2022

Nevertheless, "I Want You Back" is a compatible showcase for its sad sack leads.

From Salon • Feb. 11, 2022

The same problem plagues sad sack Ken, who, aside from being underwritten, is saddled with the worst of the film’s gross-out humor.

From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2021