Definitions

haphazard

[hap-haz-erd, hap-haz-erd] / hæpˈhæz ərd, ˈhæpˌhæz ərd /

ADJECTIVE

without plan or organization

Synonyms

STRONGEST

aimless arbitrary careless casual desultory disorganized erratic half-assed helter-skelter indiscriminate offhand random slapdash uncoordinated

WEAK

accidental all over the map any old way any which way chance designless devil-may-care disorderly hit-or-miss incidental irregular loose purposeless reckless slipshod spontaneous sudden unconcerned unconscious unconsidered unexpected unmethodical unorganized unpremeditated unsystematic unthinking willy-nilly

Antonyms

STRONGEST

careful definite deliberate methodical painstaking particular planned specific systematic

WEAK

designed intentional organized straight thought-out

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Buses are infrequent and haphazard, while the subway has only six trundling lines radiating out from the centre, making connections impossible without going all the way in and then all the way out again.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

You could take many of those same critiques and apply them to the haphazard way in which city and county leaders have addressed homelessness.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

The arrangement of dreams and actuality is frustratingly haphazard, more like a pretext to widen the novel’s scope.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

You may reasonably conclude this is a haphazard system by which to make such important decisions.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

Gas lamps had been installed at haphazard intervals along the corridor, leaving pockets of gloom whose borders shivered as Belknap and Holmes moved past.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Vocabulary lists containing haphazard

List 3

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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3

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Touching Spirit Bear

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