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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harebrained
Reggie’s resolve to fight against the rising tide inspires him to embark upon a harebrained scheme that involves con artistry and theatrical promotion.
—
Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained
Adjective
-
The goofy quest is a Reply All trope; the pair once travelled to the Middle East to track down a hacker who tried to take over their personal computers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Where Iain was tart, Hoffman was goofy and glib, using the jokey pitch modulations of a fake talk-show host to let viewers know that the Islanders’ doings were ridiculous.—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Let’s face it, life is full of foolish decisions.—
Jay Weissberg,
Variety,
14 May 2026
-
Trump previously said his administration would have been foolish not to accept it.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Even though the percentages and point-system, along with simulcast rules, can seem silly and out of touch with creative and investment reality, CanCon made possible global hits like Crave and HBO’s hockey romance series Heated Rivalry.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
21 May 2026
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That tension — something prosaic or silly culminating in something hilarious and transfixing — achieved what poor Vandenberg and her pratfalls could not.—
Anna Peele,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Directed by Nicolas Athane and Marco Nguyen, Jim Queen is a crass, profane, giddily stupid romp through a heap of stereotypes about gay life in Paris.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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For the record, those students are not stupid.—
Hope Loudon,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
The series follows an upstanding family man who spirals into a life of crime after killing someone in a bicycle accident, driven by the noble but futile goal of never hurting anyone ever again.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
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But this story has a happier, less futile ending.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Most absurd of all is the notion that Trump specifically worries about being seen as indulging in frivolity during wartime.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
-
Cue a mordantly absurd scene where his chance to land a position in the administration hinges on him successfully retrieving a precious package from a muddy field behind enemy lines, which turns out to be a damp and recalcitrant cat.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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Just like the boys, Nana was as giddy to feed the donkeys grass pellets that sold for a dollar a bag.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
17 May 2026
-
Not as giddy While semis have gone vertical, the headline indexes have not gone nearly as far or as fast as in the '99 crescendo.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
In any other historical period, proposing such a career trajectory would’ve seemed mildly insane — like if Peter Buck had followed up Fables of the Reconstruction by producing Whitney Houston instead of the Feelies.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
-
For so much of the season, Rachel is low-key stoned, which can keep her at a remove, even when things are getting really insane.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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