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
Relevance
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
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
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
-
As Buffy’s bafoonish brother, Dave Sheridan played an unlikely killer (though Doofy ends up being far less goofy than originally expected).—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The accompanying video, directed by Charlotte Rutherford, fittingly harkens back to videos of the same era, as Puth embarks on a goofy adventure through a pre-digital world filled with charming claymation figurines and old-school stop motion effects.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The offer valued Alchemize at $2 million, well below Nazareth’s goal, but investor Daymond John suggested the founder would be foolish to walk away from a chance to partner with three Sharks.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Ellis advises parents that even if teens make a few purchases that seem frivolous or foolish, instilling good financial habits is what’s most important.—
Yolande Clark-Jackson,
Parents,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Go through a corn maze, sip on apple cider, and take silly pictures with the cardboard cutouts.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This separation keeps parents' Discover Weekly and Wrapped playlists clean from unexpected surprises like a sudden obsession with gaming soundtracks or silly meme songs.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Understanding each other is futile.—
Jake Coyle,
Boston Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The court fights all proved futile, however.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The accusation felt absurd, like calling a chihuahua a wolf.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In the film, which Woo wrote and directed, Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The day the album launched, 50 Cent reacted to the reference with a post on Instagram, giddy about being the only artist that got a shoutout on the entire ablum.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Apple’s stock is giddier than an 11-year-old who just strong-armed their parents into buying them a smartphone.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The sanity phase of his trial began Thursday to determine whether Nicholson was legally insane at the time of the murders.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This lockdown is insane & disturbing with what happened during our investigation.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share