half-assed

[ haf-ast, hahf- ]

/ ˈhæfˈæst, ˈhɑf- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR half-assed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Slang: Vulgar.

insufficient or haphazard; not fully planned or developed.

incompetent; lacking sufficient ability or knowledge.

QUIZZES

Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of half-assed

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

Words nearby half-assed

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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

half-assed

adjective Slang: Vulgar.

QUIZZES

Origin of half-assed

Words nearby half-assed

Words related to half-assed

Example sentences from the Web for half-assed

British Dictionary definitions for half-assed

adjective US and Canadian slang