Haplessness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of experiencing a series of misfortunes or setbacks occurs when one faces recurring challenges in life
2. A situation where continual bad luck or unfavorable circumstances are prevalent signifies a lack of positive outcomes
3. The state of being unlucky or continuously encountering unfavorable events

Etymology: "Hapless" is the older word here, and "haplessness" is simply that adjective with the suffix "-ness" attached. "Hap" once meant chance or fortune, so "hapless" described someone without luck, someone the fates had passed over. The "-ness" ending has a long pedigree. It descends from a Proto-Germanic formation and reached English as Old English "-nes," which turned into Middle English "-nesse" before settling into the modern form. Attaching it to an adjective turns a quality into a noun, so "haplessness" names the condition of being hapless rather than the person experiencing it. The word is a straightforward formation, and its interest lies mainly in the older sense of "hap" that still hides inside it. A reader who knows "happen" or "happy" may recognize the same root, which once carried the idea of luck or what chance brings.

Synonyms: misfortune, unluckiness, bad luck

Antonyms: fortune, luckiness