1
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the movie follows the harebrained antics of a pair of stoners who seem incapable of growing up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a harebrained idea to go for a hike in an area where grizzly bear attacks had recently been reported
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harebrained
More harebrained projects follow, and the family’s tilting house finally tumbles after neighbors and acquaintances slowly chip away at the building to repurpose many of the structure’s materials.
—
Anita Snow, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025
Cuomo staying in the race could make for the most unpredictable, harebrained mayoral election that New York has had since 1977.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 July 2025
One of Steve’s harebrained schemes involves founding a movie theater speakeasy, for which the film-loving pair decides to pinch the private print at the following week’s engagement.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 26 June 2025
Things got even more harebrained further down the Reddit thread.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Anita Snow, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025
Cuomo staying in the race could make for the most unpredictable, harebrained mayoral election that New York has had since 1977.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 July 2025
One of Steve’s harebrained schemes involves founding a movie theater speakeasy, for which the film-loving pair decides to pinch the private print at the following week’s engagement.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 26 June 2025
Things got even more harebrained further down the Reddit thread.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained
Adjective
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Sabrina Carpenter’s song about guys being goofy and Bad Bunny’s single about wishing to be more present in fleeting moments might’ve been more pertinent to a rough last year animated by masculine aggression.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The Broward County rapper serves a goofy mash-up of Haitian party music and regional drug rap.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The idea of giving that over to a robot seems foolish [and] boring.—
Melinda Newman,
Billboard,
26 Jan. 2026
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Black people cast and produced to look stupid and foolish as standard operating procedure.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Huw just waiting for him without involving the police or having really any plan whatsoever is just as silly.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Wain was joined by stars Ken Marino (who co-wrote the film), Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Sabrina Impacciatore, and Ben Wang to reminisce about making their unapologetically silly comedy.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What happens, though, when those excesses transcend the merely stupid, the merely unjust, to become existential?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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People who approve of ICE’s actions aren’t necessarily stupid or evil.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The metallic sheets cannot stop the damage Echard seeks to impose on her canvases, much like those tinfoil hats that some use in confused, futile efforts to shield themselves from pernicious invisible forces.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
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But other professors, perhaps concluding that resistance is futile, are adjusting to the media their students grew up on.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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These politicians who are in their 80s and now 90s continuing to run for office is absurd.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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Rates are soaring at absurd levels, but what’s worse is what many homeowners are getting in return — less coverage, fewer payouts and other negative effects.—
Dave Lieber,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That’s why Adams wasn’t exactly giddy when the road-warrior Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round or the Chicago Bears in last weekend’s Divisional Round.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
24 Jan. 2026
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There is regret for not having spent more time in Rwanda’s beautiful capital, a mounting excitement about entering its wildscapes, and the giddy anticipation for my first sighting of a mountain gorilla in its natural habitat.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And there’s Harrison Ford, which is insane.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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But that’s an indictment of our insane world, not Roher’s filmmaking.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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