hapless

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s a faithful facsimile—with a singular ingredient absent: the soulful performance of Al Pacino in the central role of the hapless bank robber Sonny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

This time her 343rd “charge” is a hapless 87-year old CEO oil tycoon K. J. Boone unwilling to pass over from the “baffling country” of terminal illness toward its “inevitable occurrence.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

After sailing virtually unscathed through most of the series, Rachel in particular gave a masterclass in deception by continually and subtly nudging the hapless faithfuls off the scent.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

The new ads reunite Justin Long, who embodied a hip Mac laptop in Apple’s commercials, with John Hodgman, who played a hapless PC.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

And oh! where meantime was the hapless owner of this wreck?

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë