HARE-BRAINED Synonyms: 185 Similar and Opposite Words

harebrained

adjective

ˈher-ˈbrānd

Definition of harebrained

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 harebrained Here are some methods for scraping good music from the data wasteland, organized in a hierarchy from bottom-feeder basics to more sophisticated and ultimately, uhh, harebrained strategies. — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 31 July 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for harebrained

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained

Adjective

The film appears to mark a departure from Impacciatore’s recent roles that are imbued in her goofy, exuberant persona.

— Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 9 July 2026
His core driving philosophy is love in all its variety — from darkest depths to goofiest heights, always delivered with desperation.

— Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

Definition of goofy

Adjective

Johnson continued this week to push for his foolish and counterproductive desire to impose a $33-per-month tax on each Chicago job generated by the city’s largest private-sector employers.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
As is, this is a foolish thriller that prompts the occasional snicker but not much more.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

Definition of foolish

Adjective

Sevigny holds firm to Tatum’s hard-to-love jerkishness, which helps smooth over the serious arguments that can turn inadvertently silly (and amplifies the purely silly ones).

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 9 July 2026
The post also included a sweet selfie with her two younger sons, with Mateo smiling widely and Ciro making a silly face for the camera.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

Definition of silly

Adjective

Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
Shockingly, the letter seems to be pushing for a return to standardized tests by, in effect, arguing that a growing percentage of their students are simply too stupid to succeed, no matter what professors do.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of stupid

Adjective

By the late 1970s, the brothers were exhausted by the work of being professional Rosenbergs, and starting to worry that the effort was futile.

— Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
On appeal, the Crown argued the trial judge erred by declining to order a fitness assessment before considering a stay and by concluding such an assessment would be futile.

— Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Definition of futile

Adjective

In each social-commentary-teetering-on-horror episode, Nanno is a pupil at a different school, picture perfect and scanning the room for whatever secrets — an abusive teacher, an absurd hierarchical system, petty jealousy — demand to be revealed.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Cattelan spoke to the Financial Times about the strange afterlife of the work, which has become both a symbol of the art market’s excesses and a reminder of his talent for turning absurd ideas into global spectacles.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026

Definition of absurd

Adjective

Take the Midnight Rave at House of Yes, where attendees are giddy to support the promoters, Kseniya Sovenko and Mary Wolff, better known on social media as NYC Rave Girls.

— Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
The late-morning sun peeked through a gauzy veil of fog, bright laughter echoing over the giddy whisper of tulle as the brides posed for pictures outside the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of giddy

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“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of harebrained

adjective

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