Hapless Meaning
/ˈhæplɪs/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjunfortunate.
adjEspecially of a person, unfortunate.
Sentence Examples
Dragons flew in the sky, raining down fiery death and destruction on the hapless villagers.
The black hole pulls the hapless star into its maw.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ traveler lost his passport and missed his flight.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ victim was tricked into giving away all of his savings to a clever scammer.
Word Origin & History
From about 1400, from hap (“luck”) + -less.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror, and despair, I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts."
— 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], “chapter 8”, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:
"Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels."
— 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Affair at the Novelty Theatre”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
"My dear friend, are you to become that hapless kind of outcast, a champion of lost causes?"
— 1914, John Galsworthy, The Mob, act 1:
"I can only apologize on behalf of us all, and hope that in spite of chronological errors, you will continue to enjoy the mix of corporate zombies and hapless heroes that make Resident Evil so much fun."
— 2000 October 1, S.D. Perry, Resident Evil: Nemesis (Resident Evil), New York: First Pocket Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 10:
"The hapless squad, which was outscored 517-268 in 2008, became the first in league history to go 0-16."
— 2008 December 31, Harriet Barovick, “Detroit The Lost Season”, in Time:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ traveler lost his passport and missed his flight.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ victim was tricked into giving away all of his savings to a clever scammer.