as in haphazard
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Recent Examples of hit-and-miss
Drew Allar, Penn State Allar has prototypical size, tantalizing arm strength and… well, hit-and-miss production.
—
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond was more hit-and-miss, and Oregon State’s Silas Bolden had little impact other than letting punts bounce for extra yards time after time.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026
But overall, styling is hit-and-miss on this one in my humble opinion.
—New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026
And to say its fusillade of jokes is hit-and-miss would also be a charitable take.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The hit-and-miss driverless experience comes despite Musk responding in September to a Robotaxi user’s social media lament about having a supervisor in the driver’s seat.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
So much of the immediate pleasure of the show came from how unforced and unstudied the young ensemble was in the beginning, but what felt like brilliant casting in the beginning became increasingly more hit-and-miss as the show progressed.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026
Perhaps not coincidentally, Crowe has been on a long-running, hit-and-miss self-improvement program for at least two decades.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
They have been hit-and-miss with their high-quality opportunities, though, with their big-chance conversion rate of 33 per cent matching Manchester United’s.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond was more hit-and-miss, and Oregon State’s Silas Bolden had little impact other than letting punts bounce for extra yards time after time.
—Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026
But overall, styling is hit-and-miss on this one in my humble opinion.
—New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026
And to say its fusillade of jokes is hit-and-miss would also be a charitable take.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
The hit-and-miss driverless experience comes despite Musk responding in September to a Robotaxi user’s social media lament about having a supervisor in the driver’s seat.
—Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026
So much of the immediate pleasure of the show came from how unforced and unstudied the young ensemble was in the beginning, but what felt like brilliant casting in the beginning became increasingly more hit-and-miss as the show progressed.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 Jan. 2026
Perhaps not coincidentally, Crowe has been on a long-running, hit-and-miss self-improvement program for at least two decades.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2025
They have been hit-and-miss with their high-quality opportunities, though, with their big-chance conversion rate of 33 per cent matching Manchester United’s.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit-and-miss
Adjective
-
Both residents and tourists cruise around on single-speed bikes, parking them in haphazard piles to shop in luxury boutiques, visit the famous Sunday market for clothing and home goods, or grab a cappuccino in a glitzy café.—
Rebecca Rose,
Travel + Leisure,
9 May 2026
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San Diego isn’t effectively clearing flammable brush from private properties due to a haphazard inspection system that doesn’t include hefty fines and often fails to re-inspect properties deemed dangerous, a new city audit finds.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Adjective
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Even if the threshold for disagreement was quite low, disagreements were amplified to the point that each random interaction was increasingly likely to exceed the threshold.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 May 2026
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But as some have learned the hard way, that tendency of random things to appear to form patterns means that the other peak might be just noise.—
Faye Flam,
Scientific American,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Their draft selections have been hit-or-miss.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
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Forecasters say most storms will be hit-or-miss, but a few could briefly turn strong enough to produce hail, especially during the afternoon and evening.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In that case, most areas will see scattered rain, but the more robust cells could produce brief, heavy downpours.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
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There are a few, scattered references to female gladiators.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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As the game went on, Newcastle struggled to play out from the back, opting for aimless long balls.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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Gameplay-wise, On the Beach is a bit more conventional than its predecessor, emphasizing familiar stealth and combat mechanics alongside the aimless wandering.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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An awkward, desultory conversation ensues.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
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There'd be people sitting outside smoking, having desultory conversations, playing games.—
Lale Arikoglu,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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According to Sánchez Blanco, González López oversaw the machinery that allowed arbitrary arrests, torture and the defiance of judicial release orders to occur.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
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The day itself may be arbitrary, but the sentiment behind it is not.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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Outraged residents are now demanding that immediate measures be taken to control the stray dog population.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
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These intimate reflections read like pages taken from private diaries, with all the informality and vulnerability of that genre, including misspellings and stray thoughts.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hit-and-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit-and-miss. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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