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
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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
-
He was convicted on June 5 of first-degree murder, manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment, theft of a motor vehicle and other counts, according to a statement from the Delaware Department of Justice.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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But an adventure conjoined with a lover, whether breaking studio rules with Tony Curtis or tracking down John Dillinger in the person of Lawrence Tierney, never failed to activate a reckless tingle in me.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Adverb
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Instead of frantically digging through a tote at security, everything stays organized, easy to grab, and surprisingly chic.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
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But what was meant to be a celebratory moment went terribly wrong just moments later when a fire was ignited, and the family frantically grabbed water bottles to put out the growing flames.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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At this time, Moore says, aviation was considered a daredevil sport, and successful pilots, especially in France, became celebrities.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
26 May 2026
-
Mira was an amiable baby, a daredevil toddler, and, once Dylan arrived, a menace.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Adverb
-
Two more runs scored in the fourth inning when Ohtani, Pages and Freeman strung together three consecutive two-out singles and Keller wild-pitched a run home.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
12 June 2026
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First, like cucumbers, squash is a wild-growing vegetable that competes for garden space, according to Dilmore.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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His latest heist was especially daring, at challenge used to one of the best catchers in the game at eliminating runners.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
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The bold and daring hero, who leads the battle for justice, is seen for his passion and wisdom.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Adverb
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The local landscape in Shanghai is also getting even more crowded with a branch of the wildly-successful tour behind the scenes of the Harry Potter movies set to open there next year.—
Caroline Reid,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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Fans hoped this mainstream spotlight would set the stage to rival the heydays of the wildly popular McGregor and Ronda Rousey, the judo specialist who incentivized the UFC to develop women’s divisions.—
Mark Puleo,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harum-scarum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harum-scarum. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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