haphazard 1 of 2

haphazard

2 of 2

adverb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word haphazard distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words casual and random are common synonyms of haphazard. While all three words mean "determined by accident rather than design," haphazard applies to what is done without regard for regularity or fitness or ultimate consequence.

a haphazard collection of rocks

When can casual be used instead of haphazard?

Although the words casual and haphazard have much in common, casual suggests working or acting without deliberation, intention, or purpose.

a casual collector

When is random a more appropriate choice than haphazard?

While the synonyms random and haphazard are close in meaning, random stresses lack of definite aim, fixed goal, or regular procedure.

a random selection of books

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of haphazard
Adjective
For various reasons—his kids are off from school during the robbery; his getaway driver drops out; his hotheaded gunman arouses suspicion—his haphazard caper doesn’t lead to riches. Robert Daniels, Time, 10 Oct. 2025 His hair is longer than the crew cut worn in his most famous role, as Nicole Kidman’s younger lover in 2024’s Babygirl — now chopped bluntly at haphazard lengths, like Lennon in the mid-’60s. Carrie Battan, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025 Working with a financial advisor can help turn haphazard financial preparations into a clearer retirement path. Lorie Konish, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2025 In this instance, Winston, after his mutation, is looking clean house on Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon), a corrupt businessman whose haphazard ways led to his terminal illness and skirts treating him for it. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for haphazard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haphazard
Adjective
  • Rumors have swirled that Jaramillo was at the center of an ambush or that his murder was part of planned retribution, but Cordero-Stutz reaffirmed that his death was a random encounter that could have happened to any deputy that day.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 8 Nov. 2025
  • This is the random bunch of misfits Courteney will have to transform into a team competitive enough to make it to nationals, and that will surely start to form one big family along the way.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2025
Adverb
  • When a mysterious and legendary skeleton, badly injured, randomly resurfaced in 2018, an interdisciplinary team of researchers went to work to find out who the person was.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The adults were randomly separated into two groups.
    Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The core loop spans 18 miles with 4,500 feet of elevation gain, winding from Colchuck Lake’s turquoise waters to the Upper Enchantment Basin’s moonscape of polished granite and scattered tarns.
    Jacqueline Kehoe, AFAR Media, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Michigan residents are in for another seasonable week, with cooler temperatures and scattered rain, according to the National Weather Service.
    Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Landor should ahve been protected by the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, passed unanimously by Congress in 2000 to prevent state and local prisons from placing arbitrary or unnecessary restrictions on religious practices.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The notion of a non-arbitrary, standard length got a boost in the early days of physics, with the idea of a length that could be held to a standard that anyone on Earth could adhere to.
    Big Think, Big Think, 10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Rybakina is one of the purest ballstrikers on the tour, whose all-or-nothing game can veer from erratic to unplayable in the space of a few games.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Such a loss represents a squandered opportunity for the franchise — and yet another erratic data point in a confusing and unpredictable Panthers season.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Haphazard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haphazard. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

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