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Hapless

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Unfortunate, unlucky, or pitied; an archaic adjective frequent in elegies and tragic poetry to highlight a subject's tragic fate.

Detailed Definition
Hapless describes someone or something marked by bad fortune or an unhappy accident. The word is related to “hap,” meaning chance or fate, and therefore often implies that suffering has fallen upon a person rather than been deliberately chosen. In poetry, it is useful for tragic figures, lost travelers, ruined houses, and creatures caught in an indifferent world. Example: “The hapless rook cried once above the field.”
Example
Example in poetry:
The hapless sailor watched his boat sink in the storm; A hapless wanderer, she arrived after the gates had closed; The poem follows a hapless prince betrayed by his friends; Though hapless in fortune, the character remains generous and brave.
Additional Notes
Hapless describes someone or something unlucky, unfortunate, or repeatedly troubled by bad circumstances. It comes from hap, an old word meaning chance or fortune, with the suffix -less meaning without. Related terms include unfortunate, ill-fated, luckless, and miserable; its tone may be sympathetic or gently humorous.
Also Known As
Unlucky Unfortunate Luckless
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