harebrained
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harebrained
Explanation
Something that's harebrained is reckless or foolish. Sometimes, harebrained ideas work out just fine — several people have survived trips over Niagara Falls in a barrel, for example. If you have what you think is a great idea, but someone else calls it a harebrained scheme, it means they think you'd be a fool to try it. For example, your harebrained plan to ride your bike on the highway is bound to get you in trouble. The 16th century harebrained came from the earlier harebrain, "giddy or reckless person," from the common impression of a rabbit or a hare as being nervous and skittish.
Vocabulary lists containing harebrained
Mississippi Trial, 1955
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Red Flags and Butterflies
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Henry IV, Part 1
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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.
Allen probably has more in common with Ryan Routh, who famously infiltrated Trump International Golf Course in a harebrained scheme to take down the then–Republican presidential nominee.
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
“It was the most harebrained operation I’d seen in my 38 years with the U.S. government,” Nagy said, referring to the methods used this year.
From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2025
“That’s the stupidest, dumbest, most harebrained scheme I’ve heard in my life,” a farmer complained to a government official in one scene, a sentiment studio executives echoed as they rejected Carter’s project as too far-fetched.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025
It alternates a limited number of comic setups, often involving unfortunate encounters or Jimmy’s increasingly harebrained approach to therapy.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
I was thus firmly urged not to waste more time with my harebrained scheme.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
