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Synonyms

half-assed

American  
[haf-ast, hahf-] / ˈhæfˈæst, ˈhɑf- /

adjective

Slang: Vulgar.
  1. insufficient or haphazard; not fully planned or developed.

  2. incompetent; lacking sufficient ability or knowledge.


half-assed British  

adjective

  1. incompetent; inept

  2. 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

Etymology

Origin of half-assed

First recorded in 1960–65; half + ass 2 + -ed 3

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.

See Examples For:

"My life is not meant to be lived in misery and half-assed," wrote Aiava, who said 2026 would be her last year on tour.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

Gif: Google While Google’s very late to the party on this one, at least its implementation isn’t half-assed.

From The Verge ● May 26, 2022

Brennan: Look, I’m not calling “Station Eleven” a failure, or a disaster, or even a half-assed genre entry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2022

Rewriting a three-day-old story and appending an awkward, half-assed correction is not even vaguely OK.

From Salon ● May 24, 2021

It was really classy, like something you might find at a semi-pro baseball stadium or some half-assed rock venue.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

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