sad sack

American  

noun

Slang.

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

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sad sack British  

noun

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

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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.

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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

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

From Seattle Times • Nov. 6, 2023

“Blonde” wants you to believe that one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons was a haunted, hated sad sack who cried, screamed and groveled her way through film history.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2022

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

From Salon • Feb. 11, 2022

Tannhäuser, no longer louche but styled with a shaved head and dressed in baggy black, comes across as a sad sack hanging out at the piano.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2021

In “Night Safari,” first performed in January 2018, Wilson plays Gary, the sad sack leader of what may be the most pathetic animal tour ever.

From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2021