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
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
But that scheme is a bit harebrained, because the explosions would also introduce deadly radioactive material into the air.
—Sven Bilén, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
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
But that scheme is a bit harebrained, because the explosions would also introduce deadly radioactive material into the air.
—Sven Bilén, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained
Adjective
-
In one, Donald wears a Pride shirt and a goofy grin outside of the Airport Diner in Manchester, New Hampshire.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
-
Here, however, the goofy moments don’t quite mesh with the heaviness of the themes, especially in the immediate wake of Bobby’s death.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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But the Liberals are an electoral machine—something of a rarity on the center-left—that would be foolish to bet against.—
Daniel Block,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
-
His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Using the Graham Norton hologram to tell us that the Earth was turned to ash on May 24th, 2025 is just the right kind of silly for this show.—
Ryan Woodrow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
-
Eurovision is still too much of a silly spectacle for some, even with JJ in it.—
Alex Marshall,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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In one sense, this isn’t an entirely stupid proposition.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
3 May 2025
-
Vel rails against the offender, saying her lover was the kind of warrior the Ghor rebels are trying to be and that her loss is both incalculable and stupid.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Though their efforts were futile, their remains provide remarkable insight into the doomed city’s final moments.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
-
Through the two-hour journey that makes up the Thunderbolt’s origin story, the audience experiences the way these skilled fighters continue butting heads over the most futile issues.—
Malik Peay,
Essence,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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What else can be said about Judge’s absurd start to this season?—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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The biggest change, however, has been in fly ball frequency - his fly ball rate is now an absurd 50.0%, higher than any 2024 MLB regular.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The movie stars Shia LaBeouf, Patricia Arquette, and Sigourney Weaver, with Sachar maintaining the book's penchant for surprise, suspense, and giddy momentum.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
EW.com,
10 May 2025
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Disney’s strong quarterly results and full-year guidance raise has analysts giddy at the media giant’s prospects.—
Hakyung Kim,
CNBC,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Shinwell takes the rep aside and asks her to grab some of the antidote to the sickness that pushed Stephens into a coma, because the mad scientist must have some lying around.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
11 May 2025
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The late 19th century was a boom time for mad inventors, scam artists, and fast-talking salesmen.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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