schlemiel
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is an old Yiddish joke: the schlemiel spills the soup; the schlimazel is the person it lands on.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
A Jew writing in German, “Kafka sees that the schlemiel loses. He sees it through to the tragic end,” as European Jewry soon would.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Although the series treats Blauner as a fretful schlemiel in early episodes — almost the moment we meet him, we hear about his hemorrhoids — he’s allowed to be a man of action later on.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2024
He had some idea as to why the showrunners had reimagined a capable, no-nonsense attorney as a schlemiel with unresolved trauma.
From New York Times ● May 27, 2020
“No, like an utter schlemiel, I just walked in there. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Vocabulary lists containing schlemiel
