hapless

[hap-lis] /ˈhæp lɪs/

adjective

unlucky; luckless; unfortunate.

Origin

1560-70; hap¹ + -less

Related forms

haplessly, adverb

haplessness, noun

Can be confused

hapless, haply, happily.

Synonyms

miserable, woebegone, wretched, forlorn; pathetic, pitiable.

Examples from the web for hapless

The hapless lovers in this first novel are kept constantly off-balance before being consigned to oblivion.
The hapless creature presumably drowns in his own tears, a finale that kids may find unsettling.
The hapless bureaucrat was forced to eat his own words.
From that time forward, her progress through life had been hapless.
And he has unleashed a new militia on his hapless fellow countrymen.
My days are hapless and sad.
We are still hapless idealists, from the very founding of our nation.
It may well be the end of the road for his hapless campaign for president.
And it's always easy in retrospect to make the winning campaign out to be geniuses, the losers hapless bumblers.
Some seek only money, preying on the hapless and uninformed.

British Dictionary definitions for hapless

/ˈhæplɪs/

adjective

unfortunate; wretched

Derived Forms

haplessly, adverb
haplessness, noun

Word Origin and History for hapless

adj.

"unfortunate," c.1400, from hap (n.) in the sense "good luck" + -less. Related: Haplessly; haplessness.