haphazard
Americanadjective
adverb
noun
adverb
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of haphazard
Explanation
Anything haphazard is random, disorganized, slipshod, or hit-or-miss. A tent erected haphazardly might look more like a big nylon bag of dirty laundry than a place to sleep. Ever heard the expression "I'll hazard a guess?" In it, the word hazard means "chance," as in "take a chance." Think of the hap in haphazard as short for "happen." Combine hap- and -hazard and you get something that happens (or appears to have happened) by chance. If you approach a math problem with haphazard reasoning, you're likely to get it wrong.
Vocabulary lists containing haphazard
List 3
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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Touching Spirit Bear
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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.
Haphazard growth has led to notorious traffic jams and pollution.
From Science Magazine • Feb. 3, 2022
Inmates: Haphazard records, lack of medications and overcrowding are cited in report ordered by Justice Department.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2022
Haphazard team record-keeping is a significant allegation in the national lawsuit.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 7, 2017
Haphazard passes became dunks that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2013
Haphazard cedar fences lined the careless roads, which slid beneath the shadows of the trees and past the bracken meadows.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
