Question

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 underlined word as it is used in the sentence?

unlucky or unfortunate; pitiable
unknown or unfamiliar; mysterious
without intelligence; foolish
without tenderness; harsh
Mark this and return

Answer 1

unlucky or unfortunate; pitiable

Reason: "Hapless" here means unfortunate or pitiable — Johnson calls lexicography unlucky because both ignorance and excessive knowledge hinder it.