hapless

CEFRC2

/ˈhæplɪs/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Unlucky and often lacking control over events.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Very miserable, wretched, unhappy, measly, forlorn.

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.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Very unlucky; ill-fated.

  2. Especially of a person, unfortunate.

  3. Devoid of talent or skill.

More examples

In context

  • 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.

  • My dear friend, are you to become that hapless kind of outcast, a champion of lost causes?

  • The hapless squad, which was outscored 517-268 in 2008, became the first in league history to go 0-16.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank traveler lost his passport and missed his flight.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From about 1400, from hap (“luck”) + -less.