incompetence; laziness; worthlessness; weakness
Colloquial term for a state of being useless, weak, or lacking ability; often self-deprecating or teasing.
That guy is really useless.
good-for-nothing; loser; weakling; wuss
Refers to a person who is incompetent, cowardly, or unreliable; often used as a mild insult or in jest.
I hate my worthless self.
He's a loser, so I can't trust him with important things.
Being scared of something like that—you're such a wuss.
Derived from the verb へたる (to be exhausted, to lose strength), with the nominalizing suffix れ. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it likely originated as slang.