haphazardly
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of haphazardly
Explanation
Something done haphazardly seems completely random, like your little sister's collage of pictures cut carelessly from a magazine and haphazardly glued all over a piece of poster board. The adverb haphazardly is good for describing something done in an unplanned or random way without concern for the outcome; for example, you might put silverware away by haphazardly tossing it in a drawer, or plant a crazy garden with flowers haphazardly placed here and there around the yard. Haphazardly combines hap, meaning "chance," with hazard, or "danger."
Vocabulary lists containing haphazardly
The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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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.
But prosecutors allege she "professionalised" a way to divert EU funds first introduced haphazardly by her late father, party co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, after she took over its leadership from him in 2011.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
The movie is well-written but haphazardly made, with some choppy editing and a soundtrack of Cheech & Chong original songs that frequently drown out the dialogue to the point of irritation.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2026
We haphazardly dressed in our cleanest warm clothes.
From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2026
The judges praised Kalu's brightly-coloured sculptures - which are haphazardly wrapped in layers of ribbon, string, card and shiny VHS tape - and her drawings of swirling, tornado-like shapes.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
My work shifts were split so haphazardly that it was easy to believe that my superiors had chosen them maliciously.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
