as in haphazard
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Recent Examples of hit-and-miss
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
His hobby has grown to include 30 tractors, a number of hit-and-miss engines and several cars.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 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
The storms are expected to be hit-and-miss, so not everyone will see rain.
—Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
The hit-and-miss nature has been highlighted by those with early access to the hardware.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Creating embryo models has also been a hit-and-miss process for most research groups, with only a small percentage of stem cells going on to self-organize into embryo-like structures.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
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
His hobby has grown to include 30 tractors, a number of hit-and-miss engines and several cars.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 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
The storms are expected to be hit-and-miss, so not everyone will see rain.
—Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
The hit-and-miss nature has been highlighted by those with early access to the hardware.
—Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Creating embryo models has also been a hit-and-miss process for most research groups, with only a small percentage of stem cells going on to self-organize into embryo-like structures.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit-and-miss
Adjective
-
The rooms Due to the building’s haphazard original layout, no two of the 14 bedrooms are the same.—
Chris Schalkx,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The state auditor found that money was poorly tracked thanks to a haphazard, spend-first, ask-questions-later approach from the governor’s office.—
Brian Jones,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Even more striking, the gas moved in a very orderly and coherent way, with far less random motion than the surrounding stars.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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Not random or easily forgotten.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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These setups are bizarre, provocative, and often hit-or-miss.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Dec. 2025
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Brown has been extremely hit-or-miss this season.—
Harold Gutmann,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Its fractured, scattered form, grasping for structure instead of pretending to master it, is an attempt to build a future that will include both author and reader.—
Robert Rubsam,
The Atlantic,
1 Jan. 2026
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On Sunday, rain will pick up across the Midwest from Kansas and Missouri through Ohio and Pennsylvania while scattered thunderstorms are possible from Arkansas up to Ohio, with some possibly strong enough to bring gusty winds and maybe an isolated tornado.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
27 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Beyond aimless brutality or victory, serious practitioners eventually look toward higher principles – even when the desire for glory is powerful.—
Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo,
The Conversation,
8 Jan. 2026
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With Saturn conjunct Neptune influencing your 10th house of career and public image, ambiguous (or aimless) dreams will no longer suffice.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Conversation at Mels Diner is desultory and disinclined to matters so impractical, uncomfortable.—
David Searcy,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
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Yesterday’s desultory 37-20 loss to Kansas City left them at an ugly 1-3 on the season.—
Richard Deitsch,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The National Police has been repeatedly cited by national and international human rights organizations for excessive use of force, arbitrary detentions, and the mistreatment of protesters and civilians.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
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Critics say those distinctions are arbitrary and unfair, being based on outdated assumptions and bad science.—
Kevin Krause,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Policing organizations such as the Police Executive Research Forum and the International Association of Chiefs of Police have recommended similar limits, warning that shooting at vehicles creates serious risks from stray gunfire or from a vehicle crashing if the driver is hit.—
Claudia Lauer,
Twin Cities,
8 Jan. 2026
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His surveillance video showed a man fixing a car outside the store when he was apparently hit by the stray bullet.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hit-and-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit-and-miss. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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