harum-scarum 1 of 2

adjective

ˌher-əm-ˈsker-əm How to pronounce harum-scarum (audio)
Definition of harum-scarumnext
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

harum-scarum

2 of 2

adverb

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harum-scarum
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
  1. reckless
  2. frantically
  3. daredevil
  4. wild
  5. daring
  6. wildly
Adjective
  • He was charged with reckless endangerment, graffiti, public lewdness, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, the NYPD said, according to NBC News.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The unlicensed doctor who runs the clinic, Luis Rojas Cabrera, was arrested for practicing without a license and reckless endangerment.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of reckless
Adverb
  • Fox recorded video of Stout leaving the area calmly after the fire started among others frantically getting away from the fast-spreading wildfire, Noel told the judge.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
  • Baela isn’t sleeping or eating and is frantically seeking redemption after blaming herself for Jace’s death.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of frantically
Adjective
  • News earlier in the month, Johnson and East chatted about life at home with their three little ones, and shared which kid is taking on a daredevil personality.
    — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
  • In addition to decades of performing his own impossible feats for the sake and sanctity of cinema, Cruise has lately taken to showing off his daredevil talents at sporting events worldwide.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 19 July 2026
Definition of daredevil
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
  • First, like cucumbers, squash is a wild-growing vegetable that competes for garden space, according to Dilmore.
    — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 9 June 2026
Definition of wild
Adjective
  • There was plenty of action on Swiss National Day in Lausanne, with unfortunate crashes and a daring breakaway, but the top teams’ desire for that first leader’s jersey was always going to win out.
    — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • These tumultuous incidents are bound by a daring half-hour-long scene of the driver’s erotic overnight reunion with his hard-living girlfriend, who wants to adopt the child.
    — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 31 July 2026
Definition of daring
Adverb
  • After setting her wildly popular debut The Tiger's Wife in a Balkans suffused with myth and magic, the author turned in subsequent books to the Old West and a city redolent of New York.
    — Colin Dwyer, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
  • This urban concentration creates hidden local impacts, including wildly uneven regional carbon emissions depending on whether the local grid relies on fossil fuels or green energy.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of wildly

Browse Nearby Words

harshness
harum-scarum
harvest
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Cite this Entry

“Harum-scarum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harum-scarum. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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