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The hapless child
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Synonyms
miserable
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hapless
[
hap
-lis
]
Example Sentences
Origin
hap·less
/
ˈhæp
lɪs
/
Show Spelled
[
hap
-lis
]
Show IPA
adjective
unlucky; luckless; unfortunate.
Origin:
1560–70;
hap
1
+
-less
Related forms
hap·less·ly,
adverb
hap·less·ness,
noun
Can be confused:
hapless,
haply
,
happily
.
Synonyms
miserable, woebegone, wretched, forlorn; pathetic, pitiable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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hapless
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Hapless
is always a great word to know.
So is
slumgullion
. Does it mean:
So is
flibbertigibbet
. Does it mean:
So is
doohickey
. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example Sentences
The
hapless
lovers in this first novel are kept constantly off-balance before being consigned to oblivion.
The
hapless
creature presumably drowns in his own tears, a finale that kids may find unsettling.
The
hapless
bureaucrat was forced to eat his own words.
EXPAND
Adjective
The
hapless
lovers in this first novel are kept constantly off-balance before being consigned to oblivion.
The
hapless
creature presumably drowns in his own tears, a finale that kids may find unsettling.
The
hapless
bureaucrat was forced to eat his own words.
From that time forward, her progress through life had been
hapless
.
And he has unleashed a new militia on his
hapless
fellow countrymen.
My days are
hapless
and sad.
We are still
hapless
idealists, from the very founding of our nation.
COLLAPSE
Collins
World English Dictionary
hapless
(ˈhæplɪs)
—
adj
unfortunate; wretched
'haplessly
—
adv
'haplessness
—
n
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
hapless
"unfortunate," 1568, from
hap
(q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
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Related Words
haply
happily
ill-fated
unfortunate
unfortunate
unhappy
unlucky
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Matching Quote
"The exile is a singular, whereas refugees tend to be thought of in the mass. Armenian refugees, Jewish refugees, refugees from Franco Spain. But a political leader or artistic figure is an exile. Thomas Mann yesterday, Theodorakis today. Exile is the noble and dignified term, while a refugee is more
hapless
.... What is implied in these nuances of social standing is the respect we pay to choice. The exile appears to have made a decision, while the refugee is the very image of helplessness."
-Mary McCarthy
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