schlemiel

American  

[shluh-meel] / ʃləˈmil /

Or schlemihl,

noun

Slang.

1. an awkward and unlucky person for whom things never turn out right.

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schlemiel British  

/ ʃləˈmiːl /

noun

1. slang an awkward or unlucky person whose endeavours usually fail

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Etymology

Origin of schlemiel

1890–95; < Yiddish shlemil < Hebrew shəlumīʾēl Shelumiel, a Biblical and Talmudic figure

Explanation

A schlemiel is a somewhat dopey, awkward person. You might angrily call your brother a schlemiel after he drops the cake you've spent all day making, stumbles, and sits on it. Nothing every goes quite right for a schlemiel — he's the guy who never seems to get any good luck, and who's less than brilliant and not particularly graceful. A schlemiel in a movie is an object of fun, perfect for laughing at. In real life, it's pretty hard to be a schlemiel. The word schlemiel means "bungler" in Yiddish, from a character called Peter Schlemihl in a classic German fable.

Example Sentences

In some regards this narrator, a husband and father, is Mr. Lerner’s most mature alter ego, but he often seems like the same schlemiel as the feckless grad student in “Leaving the Atocha Station.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Although the series treats Blauner as a fretful schlemiel in early episodes — almost the moment we meet him, we hear about his hemorrhoids — he’s allowed to be a man of action later on.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2024

He had some idea as to why the showrunners had reimagined a capable, no-nonsense attorney as a schlemiel with unresolved trauma.

From New York Times • May 27, 2020

As Costanza, Mr. Stiller was perpetually struggling to control his temper, blood pressure and contempt for his son, George, a balding schlemiel played by Jason Alexander.

From Washington Post • May 11, 2020

“No, like an utter schlemiel, I just walked in there. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros