Hapless is an adjective used to describe someone who is unfortunate or plagued by misfortune, often in a way that seems beyond their control. It refers to a person who experiences a series of bad luck or unfortunate events, making them seem unlucky or constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time. The word conveys a sense of helplessness or ineptitude in the face of adversity. In Indonesian, hapless can be translated as “malang” or “sial.”
Some synonyms for hapless include: unfortunate, ill-fated, unlucky, jinxed, doomed, wretched, misfortunate, unblessed, destitute, and out of luck.
Example Sentences Using Hapless:
- The hapless traveler missed every flight connection and lost his luggage along the way.
- She was a hapless waitress who spilled drinks on customers more than once.
- The hapless actor was given bad reviews for every role he took on, no matter how hard he tried.
- He was hapless in love, always finding himself in relationships that never worked out.
- The hapless team lost every match of the season, despite their best efforts.
- She gave a hapless shrug after another attempt to fix the broken machine failed.
- His hapless efforts to fix the car only made the problem worse.
- The hapless man wandered the streets, trying to find his lost wallet in the pouring rain.
- He seemed to have a hapless series of events during his vacation, from missing trains to losing his passport.
- The hapless student forgot about the final exam and ended up failing the class.
Related Words:
- Unfortunate
- Unlucky
- Ill-fated
- Jinxed
- Doomed
- Wretched
- Misfortunate
- Destitute
- Out of luck
- Down on one’s luck
Phrasal Verbs Related to Hapless:
- Come to grief (to meet with an unfortunate end or failure, often in a hapless way)
- Run into trouble (to encounter problems or bad luck, often due to being hapless)
- Be down on one’s luck (to be experiencing a period of misfortune, very much like being hapless)
- Fall short (to fail or be unsuccessful, often in a way that seems to stem from bad luck or haplessness)
- Bungle up (to make a mistake or mess something up, leading to a hapless outcome)
Idiomatic Expressions Related to Hapless:
- In the wrong place at the wrong time (to experience misfortune, similar to being hapless)
- Born under a bad sign (to have a life full of misfortune, much like being hapless)
- Have a black cloud hanging over one’s head (to always experience bad luck or haplessness)
- Go from bad to worse (for things to continually worsen, reflecting a hapless situation)
- Out of the frying pan into the fire (to move from one difficult situation to an even worse one, often due to haplessness)
- Take one step forward, two steps back (to always feel like you’re making no progress, similar to haplessness)
A hapless person often seems to be caught in a cycle of unfortunate events that are beyond their control. While some may see this as a result of bad luck, others might interpret it as a sign of misfortune following them wherever they go. In either case, haplessness is typically associated with a lack of control over one’s circumstances, making it difficult to break free from a series of misadventures.
