hapless C2 Topic:People & Society US /ˈhæplɪs/ See IPA manual Freq #33071 Meanings 1 adj Unlucky in a way that brings misfortune; ill-fated. The hapless tourist lost his passport on the very first day of the trip. 2 adj Deserving pity for being unfortunate. Rescuers worked through the night to reach the hapless victims of the flood. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · unlucky in a way that... miserable Word family Derived forms haplesslyhaplessness Related forms happenhappy Common collocations hapless victim Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From about 1400, from hap (“luck”) + -less. Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # hapless **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈhæplɪs/ **Frequency rank:** 33071 ## Meanings 1. Unlucky in a way that brings misfortune; ill-fated. 2. Deserving pity for being unfortunate. ## Examples - The hapless tourist lost his passport on the very first day of the trip. - Rescuers worked through the night to reach the hapless victims of the flood. ## Derived Forms - haplessly - haplessness ## Related Forms - happen - happy ## Etymology From about 1400, from hap (“luck”) + -less. ## AI Etymology Hapless is from about 1400, from hap (“luck”) + -less. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include unlucky in a way that brings misfortune; ill-fated and deserving pity for being unfortunate. The wider family includes derived forms such as haplessly and haplessness; related words such as happen and happy. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown