half-assed

[ haf-ast, hahf- ]

/ ˈhæfˈæst, ˈhɑf- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR half-assed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Slang: Vulgar.

insufficient or haphazard; not fully planned or developed.

incompetent; lacking sufficient ability or knowledge.

Nearby words

half-a-crown, half-a-dollar, half-and-half, half-arsed, half-asleep, half-assed, half-awake, half-baked, half-ball, half-binding, half-blind

Origin of half-assed

First recorded in 1960–65; half + ass² + -ed³

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for half-assed

What a throwaway, half-assed response devoid of any sort of research.
Macklemore, the Grammy Winning Rapper, Is a 9/11 Truther Who Likes to Play Anti-Semitic Dress-Up|Emily Shire, Marlow Stern|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Somers has gotten a lot of flak for her crazy assertions and half-assed medical theories.
Suzanne Somers’s 13 Craziest Quotes: Sex, Adam Lanza, Patrick Swayze, and More|Amy Zimmerman|October 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was “half-assed,” observes a Middle East insider close to the administration.
Why Obama Will Ignore Israel|Peter Beinart|December 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead, the studio got a half-assed explanation: “No points for early,” I argue.
‘White Collar’ Creator Jeff Eastin: My Biggest Con|Jeff Eastin|July 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Had the SEC done even a half-assed job, the Ponzi scheme would have been discovered a decade ago.
How the Government Screwed Madoff Victims Again|Burt Ross|March 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I didn't do it, and I can beat any case that half-assed ex-ambulance-chaser, Farnsworth, could dream up against me.
Murder in the Gunroom|Henry Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for half-assed

half-assed

adjective US and Canadian slang

incompetent; inept

lacking efficiency or organization

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012