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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harebrained
For seven seasons, Ansari played Tom Haverford, the goofy Parks administrator who was constantly cooking up harebrained schemes to make a quick buck, or just entertain himself.
—
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The cartoon comedy is everything that its title implies: The movie follows a cop who is half dog and half man, thanks to a harebrained (but lifesaving) surgery that leads a man and his faithful companion to be fused into one.
—EW.com, 2 Feb. 2025
In Dog Man, after a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses them together and Dog Man is born.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025
Reynolds thrived in front of a live studio audience, playing a college-age rascal who was more interested in messing with his friends and pursuing harebrained schemes than deciding on a major.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 27 Mar. 2025
The cartoon comedy is everything that its title implies: The movie follows a cop who is half dog and half man, thanks to a harebrained (but lifesaving) surgery that leads a man and his faithful companion to be fused into one.
—EW.com, 2 Feb. 2025
In Dog Man, after a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses them together and Dog Man is born.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2025
Reynolds thrived in front of a live studio audience, playing a college-age rascal who was more interested in messing with his friends and pursuing harebrained schemes than deciding on a major.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained
Adjective
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Dead Snow, though, bearing a poster that’s as good as the actual film, prides itself on its constant assault of goofy violence.—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
-
Despite the lack of bombast, The Alters tells a compelling and heartfelt narrative, with some goofier moments to break up the unrelenting drama.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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Making a prediction for Game 7 is obviously foolish.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
-
This seems foolish since the U.S. has some 25-30% of the world’s coal, which is even more than China.—
Jude Clemente,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Jeff: This has been such a silly way to seed the in-season tournament.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Wishing you a weekend of in-season snacks, silly time with old friends, and political victories of any size.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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Mexican men were dismissed as violent Panchos and stupid Pedros.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
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There’s more stupid romance around harder substances but few chemicals are more hazardous to ambition than THC.—
Benjamin Hale
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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The researchers said their findings should not suggest afforestation and carbon offsetting are futile.—
Hayley Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2025
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And beneath that fear lies a corrosive belief that resistance is futile.—
Elisa Manfredini,
Time,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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The nutrient can indeed help with all of those, but sometimes, the claims turn absurd.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2025
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The College World Series semifinals concluded Wednesday, allowing Houston Astros manager Joe Espada another chance to marvel at an absurd ascension.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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This is for sure: Acuna makes just $17 million per year despite everything, and Braves officials are beyond giddy.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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Pixar’s first feature is still the template for every great movie the studio has made since: earned emotions; ripping action sequences; dead-on insights into human nature; and lots of giddy, witty, silly laughs.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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