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

See Examples For:

sad sack

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

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 6, 2023

Over the course of the series, Guillermo has transitioned from sad sack to badass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022

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

We first encounter Art as a high school sad sack in 1988.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2022

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

From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2022