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
-
America’s reckless military adventure continues.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Tottenham began to tire and Tel was ultimately punished for his reckless boot in his own box.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Adverb
-
Third base coach Hector Borg frantically waved Lee home, and Lee kept his foot on the gas.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Employees were frantically readying the space to serve its first customers.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mira was an amiable baby, a daredevil toddler, and, once Dylan arrived, a menace.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Children can participate in fishing, particularly on the lake, and daredevil kiddos over eight can try their hand at driving cars at nearby Thruxton Circuit.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The Edge Spa, perched on the side of a precipice overlooking Alexander Creek, showcases ingredients grown or wild-harvested on site.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Most of the region's black walnuts are currently wild-foraged and sold by the pound at local hulling centers.—
Randy Moll,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
For the less daring, there are a total of five trails inside the park.—
Marnie Hunter,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
The unit famously killed Usama bin Laden in 2011 in a daring raid deep into Pakistan.—
David Hookstead OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Adverb
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This is likely the reason why the aye-aye took a wildly different evolutionary route to its counterparts.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
But motivations diverge wildly at this stage of a season, making fixture difficulty tricky to assess.—
Ayo Akinwolere,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harum-scarum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harum-scarum. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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