as in reckless
having or showing a lack of concern for the consequences of one's actions
a harum-scarum dash through the crowded terminal to make the flight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
tossed everything harum-scarum from the closet in a desperate attempt to find her shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harum-scarum
Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 4 May 2025
Adjective
Years of harum-scarum borrowing and spending combined with economic wallops from the Covid-19 pandemic, soaring interest rates and inflation helped drive up Kenya’s debt to $80 billion.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 4 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harum-scarum
Adjective
-
Sadly, the reckless political extremism of mid-20th century America is also having a revival.—
Jane S. Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025
-
The girl’s 47-year-old stepmom is charged with child endangerment and reckless endangerment by discharging a firearm from within a motor vehicle, Shelby County court records show.—
Olivia Lloyd,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2025
Adverb
-
Large drips of white and blue paint obscure the chattering teeth frantically farmed in red in the lower canvas, hinting at water and perhaps someone being silenced.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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This time the third period was marked by frantically tenacious defense and by the quiet excellence Cats fans have come to expect of Sergei Bobrvosky.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Then there was the subplot of a daredevil robot named Saymo who broke up with his girlfriend in front of a crowd on a studio lot, then tried to roll off a ramp and fly over a car.—
Jason Zinoman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
-
Thousands of onlookers cheered wildly as daredevil pilot Bessie Coleman arced her Curtiss Jenny biplane into a spiral above a Houston field.—
Victor Luckerson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
Adverb
-
All of it wild-caught.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
orlandosentinel.com,
14 Aug. 2020
-
Our first stop is in a wild-looking stretch 200 yards south of the railroad tracks and State Street.—
Paul A. Smith,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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His career was built around the principles that a great idea can come from anywhere, a box office triumph is meant to be shared by an entire team and our creative choices need to be bold and daring.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
5 June 2025
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The Russian missile attack on Ukraine comes days after Ukraine’s security service launched a series of daring, large-scale drone attacks deep into Russia, striking airfields and hitting 41 Russian military aircrafts.—
Victoria Butenko,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
Adverb
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Carlos Alcaraz with the trophy after his victory against Jannik Sinner of Italy in the final of the men's singles competition at the French Open June 8th, 2025 Tim Clayton–Getty Images By this point, the Roland Garros crowd was cheering wildly for Alcaraz.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
8 June 2025
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Smith was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. at the time, two spots ahead of his pal, yet the wildly popular Ashe always got top billing.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harum-scarum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harum-scarum. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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