schlemiel

or schle·mihl, shle·miel

[ shluh-meel ]
/ ʃləˈmil /

noun Slang.

an awkward and unlucky person for whom things never turn out right.

Origin of schlemiel

1890–95; < Yiddish shlemil < Hebrew shəlumīʾēl Shelumiel, a Biblical and Talmudic figure

Example sentences from the Web for schlemiel

British Dictionary definitions for schlemiel

schlemiel

schlemihl or shlemiel

/ (ʃləˈmiːl) /

noun

US slang an awkward or unlucky person whose endeavours usually fail

Word Origin for schlemiel

Yiddish, from German, after the hero of a novel by Chamisso (1781–1838)