hapless
Significado: Unfortunate and deserving of pity; unlucky in a way that evokes sympathy or mild amusement rather than serious concern.
Hapless has a distinctly sympathetic quality — the hapless person is not foolish or incompetent so much as persistently unlucky, a victim of circumstance rather than their own failings. The word is a favourite of British journalists and commentators, who use it to describe everyone from struggling football managers to tourists caught in the rain. It carries a gentle, often wryly affectionate tone, and collocates with 'victim,' 'tourist,' 'defender,' 'protagonist,' and 'traveller.' It is almost never used in formal or academic writing.
Ejemplos
- The hapless goalkeeper could only watch as the deflected shot sailed into the top corner of the net. 不幸的守门员只能眼睁睁看着偏转的射门飞入球网上角。El hapless portero solo pudo contemplar cómo el tiro desviado se colaba por la escuadra.不運な守備の選手は、デフレクトしたシュートがゴール上隅に飛び込むのをただ見守ることしかできなかった。불운한 골키퍼는 빗맞은 슛이 골문 상단 구석으로 빨려 들어가는 것을 바라볼 수밖에 없었다.
- A hapless tourist who had wandered into the restricted area was politely but firmly escorted back to the visitor centre. 一名误入禁区的倒霉游客被礼貌而坚定地护送回游客中心。Un desafortunado turista que se había adentrado en la zona restringida fue acompañado de vuelta al centro de visitantes con educación pero firmeza.立入禁止区域に迷い込んだ気の毒な観光客は、丁寧だがきっぱりとビジターセンターまで連れ戻された。제한 구역에 길을 잃고 들어온 불운한 관광객은 정중하지만 단호하게 방문자 센터로 안내되었다.
- The novel follows the adventures of a hapless young clerk whose well-meaning schemes invariably end in comic disaster. 这部小说讲述了一位倒霉的年轻职员的冒险经历,他那些出于好意的计划总是以滑稽的灾难告终。La novela sigue las aventuras de un desventurado joven oficinista cuyos bienintencionados planes terminan invariablemente en cómico desastre.この小説は、善意の計画がことごとく喜劇的な災難に終わる不運な若い事務員の冒険を描いている。이 소설은 선의의 계획이 번번이 희극적 재앙으로 끝나는 불운한 젊은 사무원의 모험을 그리고 있다.
Pronunciación
Guía de uso
Contexto: general
Tono: sympathetic
Origen e historia
From Middle English hap (luck, fortune) with the suffix -less (without). Hap itself derives from Old Norse happ (luck, good fortune). The word has been in use since the late 14th century.
Contexto cultural
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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