Read the sentence from Samuel Johnson’s preface to A Dictionary of the English Language . And such is the fate of hapless lexicography, that not only darkness, but light, impedes and distresses it; things may be not only too little, but too much known, to be happily illustrated. What is the best definition of the word hapless as it is used in the sentence?

In this sentence, Johnson describes lexicography as facing difficulties whether there is too little knowledge or too much. “Hapless” means unlucky or unfortunate, so “unlucky or unfortunate; pitiable” best fits the context. The other choices describe harshness, obscurity, or lack of intelligence, none of which matches the idea of being beset by misfortune.

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