Hapless

Word: hapless (adjective)

Associations

"Hapless" means unlucky or unfortunate. It describes someone or something that often has bad luck or problems.

  • The hapless traveler missed his flight because of heavy traffic. Here, "hapless" shows the traveler had bad luck.
  • The hapless team lost every game this season. This means the team was unlucky or unsuccessful.
  • She felt hapless after losing her keys for the third time. It shows she is unlucky in small daily matters.

A synonym is "unfortunate," but "hapless" often has a stronger feeling of ongoing bad luck or helplessness, while "unfortunate" can be more neutral or temporary.

Substitution

You can use words like:

  • unlucky (similar meaning, more common)
  • unfortunate (a bit more formal)
  • unlucky or ill-fated (stronger sense of bad luck) Changing the word may change how strong the feeling of bad luck is.

Deconstruction

  • Root: "hap" means chance or luck (old English/Scandinavian origin).
  • Prefix: none.
  • Suffix: "-less" means without. So, "hapless" literally means "without luck" or "without good chance."

Inquiry

  • Can you think of a time when you or someone else was hapless?
  • How is "hapless" different from just having a bad day?
  • Can "hapless" be used for objects or only people? Why?
Model: gpt-4.1-mini