slapdash

adjective

slap·dash ˈslap-ˈdash

-ˌdash

Synonyms of slapdash next

: haphazard, slipshod

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An early recorded use of slapdash comes from 17th-century British poet and dramatist John Dryden, who used it as an adverb in his play The Kind Keeper. "Down I put the notes slap-dash," he wrote. The Oxford English Dictionary defines this sense, in part, as "with, or as with, a slap and a dash," perhaps suggesting the notion of an action (such as painting) performed with quick, imprecise movements. The adjective slapdash is familiar today describing something done in a hasty, careless, or haphazard manner.

Examples of slapdash in a Sentence

the police department's investigation of the charges against the mayor was slapdash and not very thorough

Recent Examples on the Web In other words, the seemingly slapdash style requires more effort than merely embracing the elements. —

Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 18 July 2023 That's a very slapdash view of one of the most important exercises in your fitness arsenal. —

Brett Williams, Men's Health, 31 May 2023 Equally nonchalant were the artfully messy manes at Chanel, created by James Pecis, which felt more effortlessly Parisian than the slapdash British equivalent. —

Tish Weinstock, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2023 At least four other Americans remain detained in Venezuela, including two former Green Berets involved in a slapdash attempt to oust Maduro in 2019, and two other men who, like Khan, were detained for allegedly entering the country illegally from neighboring Colombia. —

Time, 1 Oct. 2022 At least four other Americans remain detained in Venezuela, including two former Green Berets involved in a slapdash attempt to oust Maduro in 2019, and two men who, like Khan, were detained for allegedly entering the country illegally from neighboring Colombia. —

Eric Tucker, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Oct. 2022 Now the series is planning a Carolyn backstory spin-off, making Eve’s claustrophobic and slapdash ending feel all the more insulting. —

Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2022 But this is not the case for members of our illustrious legislative branch, who often take December to address several critical issues in a slapdash fashion, in extreme cases working until the final moments of the year to address outstanding problems. —

Grace Segers, The New Republic, 22 Dec. 2021 Trump was lucky last August to find a judge who was willing to embrace his self-serving, slapdash theories of special presidential immunity. —

Matt Ford, The New Republic, 2 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slapdash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.