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.
Commitee member and MP Josh Newbury said SEW's communications during the interruptions were "haphazard and inconsistent".
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
And here, Orsolya’s sincere if haphazard search for understanding, visible in every fiber of Tompa’s affecting central performance, cleverly lets Jude expose the insufficiency in quick fixes.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
And their seemingly haphazard jumble is purposeful, reminding us that this is not a temple but a workshop, a place of ongoing activity in which new and experimental art is incubated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
You may reasonably conclude this is a haphazard system by which to make such important decisions.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
The choice was almost haphazard: Dobyns had never been to Peru.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
