YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

hapless

Adjective

IPA /ˈhæpləs/

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Meaning in plain English

Unfortunate and repeatedly affected by bad luck.

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Pronunciation

hapless/ˈhæpləs/

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A traveller loses the ticket
Then the traveller misses the train

A hapless person suffers bad luck.

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Examples in context

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The hapless traveller lost his ticket and then missed his train.
The story follows a hapless apprentice whose plans always go wrong.

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The ________ traveller lost his ticket and then missed his train.

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hapless — Unfortunate and repeatedly affected by bad luck.

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Unfortunate and repeatedly affected by bad luck.

Compare: The hapless traveller lost his ticket and then missed his train.

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Word origin

Formed from hap, an old word for luck, and -less.

Did you know?

Hapless victim and hapless hero often appear in descriptions of stories or events.

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