What is the meaning of 'Hapless'?

[Hornbein]

I always thought it meant "incompetent," but the dictionary says "unlucky." Huh. I now say that hapless is used as a euphemism for incompetence.

 

[PeroK]

I always thought it meant "incompetent," but the dictionary says "unlucky." Huh. I now say that hapless is used as a euphemism for incompetence.

Definitely not incompetent. I would use it in the context of someone who is, by no fault of their own, in a difficult position; subject to the whims of fate; for whom things seem to turn out for the worse.

 

[Hornbein]

I'm outvoted.

I wonder how many other words I have the wrong definitions for? (Not counting words that have hotly debated controversial definitions. That will never end.) I'm not going to look up every word I know in the dictionary.

 

[hutchphd]

I still think it is closer to "schlemiel" than to "schlimazel" but I'll just stick to the Yiddish. (Its my Scots-Irish roots.) Why look elsewhere?

 

[Vanadium 50]

but I'll just stick to the Yiddish. (Its my Scots-Irish roots.)

As my distant ancestor, Angus McGoldstein would say....

 

[DaveC426913]

I wonder how many other words I have the wrong definitions for?

I'm not sure you're wrong; I'd say you have a subset of the word use.

Finding oneself inexplicably lost in a foreign country with no money, contacts or shelter could describe a hapless fella who got there either by no fault of his own or by fault of his own.

 

[Baluncore]

I would say that the hapless, would be innocent or helpless, and would be suffering from more than one small misfortune.

 

[hutchphd]

As my distant ancestor, Angus McGoldstein would say....

Ah , Uncle Angus.....I do love the number of descriptors of (often deficient) humans that are availible in Yiddish. A sclemiel is hopeless a schlemazel hapless and we could all use a few more good mensch.

 

[PeroK]

I'm not sure you're wrong; I'd say you have a subset of the word use.

Finding oneself inexplicably lost in a foreign country with no money, contacts or shelter could describe a hapless fella who got there either by no fault of his own or by fault of his own.

Apparanetly hap is an old Norse word for good luck. The original meaning, therefore, is ill-starred or ill-fated.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hapless

 

[gmax137]

"Hap" is good luck. Think "happenstance" or even "happy."