Word of the Day

Monday, January 12, 2009

hapless

\HAP-lis\ , adjective;

unlucky; unfortunate

Read the full entry|See synonyms|Comment on today's word

Quotes:

It might explain how, on consecutive Sundays, quarterback Jay Cutler and Co. could be crushed by the hapless Oakland Raiders, only to pick up the pieces and dominate a New York Jets team that looked unbeatable.

-- Mark Kiszla, Denver Post, 2008-12-07

Matthew Broderick has gone from playing a hapless Broadway producer in the hit musical "The Producers" to a hapless movie writer-director in the new comedy "The Last Shot," which opens Friday.

-- Susan King, LA Times, 2004-09-20

Origin:

by 1568, meaning "destitute of hap"