haphazard

play

noun hap·haz·ard \(ˌ)hap-ˈha-zərd\

Definition of haphazard

: chance 1 this little remnant preserved by the haphazard of chance — Edith Hamilton take our principles at haphazard — John Locke

Origin and Etymology of haphazard

¹hap + hazard

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First Known Use: 1569

See Words from the same year

haphazard

adjective hap·haz·ard

Definition of haphazard

: marked by lack of plan, order, or direction a haphazard assemblage of furniture not … a collection of haphazard schemes, but rather the orderly component parts of a connected and logical whole — F. D. Roosevelt

haphazard

adverb

haphazardly

adverb

haphazardness

noun

haphazardry

play \(ˌ)hap-ˈha-zər-drē\ noun

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Examples of haphazard in a Sentence

We were given a haphazard tour of the city.
considering the haphazard way you measured the ingredients, it's a wonder the cookies came out this good

Did You Know?

The "hap" in "haphazard" comes from an English word that means "happening," as well as "chance or fortune," and that derives from the Old Norse word happ, meaning "good luck." Perhaps it’s no accident that "hazard," as well, has its own connotations of luck: while it now refers commonly to something that presents danger, at one time it referred to a dice game similar to craps. (The name ultimately derives from the Arabic al-zahr, or "the die.") "Haphazard" first entered English as a noun (again meaning "chance") in the 16th century, and soon afterward was being used as an adjective to describe things with no apparent logic or order.

Origin and Etymology of haphazard

see ¹haphazard

NEW!

First Known Use: 1576

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of haphazard

random, haphazard, casual mean determined by accident rather than design. random stresses lack of definite aim, fixed goal, or regular procedure. a random selection of books haphazard applies to what is done without regard for regularity or fitness or ultimate consequence. a haphazard collection of rocks casual suggests working or acting without deliberation, intention, or purpose. a casual collector