Haphazard Meaning
/(ˌ)hæpˈhæz.əd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjLacking any obvious principle of organization; random.
adjRandom; chaotic; incomplete; not thorough, constant, or consistent.
Sentence Examples
The books were arranged in a haphazard manner.
His haphazard approach led to many mistakes.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ arrangement of the files made it impossible to find anything.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The files were organized in a ____ manner with no system.
Word Origin & History
From archaic hap (“chance, luck”) + hazard.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The haphazard efforts of a few, working here and there without concert, easily spent themselves in attaining results far short of what were needed."
— 1886, N. H. Egleston, “Arbor-Day”, in Popular Science Monthly, p. 689:
"we assume a gas to be an assemblage of elastic spheres or molecules, flying in straight lines in all directions, with swift haphazard collisions and repulsions, like so many billiard balls."
— 1909, Fielding H. Garrison, “Josiah Willard Gibbs and his relation to modern science”, in Popular Science Monthly, p. 191:
"There is a very considerable series of observations — non-instrumental, unsystematic, irregular, "haphazard" if you will — which any one with ordinary intelligence and with a real interest in weather conditions may undertake."
— 1912, Robert DeC. Ward, “The Value of Non-Instrumental Weather Observations”, in Popular Science Monthly, p. 129:
"Chelsea need to identify and appoint the new manager and then lose the haphazard transfer policy that has seen players signed for exorbitant fees, often seemingly on the basis that other Premier League clubs were interested in them."
— 2023 April 18, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea Champions League exit: Where do 'disjointed, broken' Blues go from here?”, in BBC Sport:
"You should never talk about your own fingers, and haphazards, to genteel people. You should only talk about agreeable subjects as I do."
— 1796, Fanny Burney, Camilla, Or, A Picture of Youth, volume 3, published 1802, page 116:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ arrangement of the files made it impossible to find anything.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The files were organized in a ____ manner with no system.