1
as in goofy
lacking in seriousness or maturity
the movie follows the harebrained antics of a pair of stoners who seem incapable of growing up
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in foolish
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a harebrained idea to go for a hike in an area where grizzly bear attacks had recently been reported
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harebrained
Khrushchev’s harebrained scheme involved transporting medium- and intermediate-range nuclear missiles by ship to Cuba, while somehow managing to avoid detection by NATO.
—
Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2022
However, there is a certain charm to the harebrained things that got greenlit in the age of Aqua Net and leg warmers.
—Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 20 May 2024
In the first season, Lance is Brooke’s loser boyfriend, who is always pitching harebrained ideas for custom sneakers.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 9 June 2023
Only the steeliest of investors would dare become an entrepreneur in this economy; wannabe investors cling on to solid careers rather than risk it all for some harebrained cash grab.
—Robert Stevens, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2022
However, there is a certain charm to the harebrained things that got greenlit in the age of Aqua Net and leg warmers.
—Tim Moffatt, EW.com, 20 May 2024
In the first season, Lance is Brooke’s loser boyfriend, who is always pitching harebrained ideas for custom sneakers.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 9 June 2023
Only the steeliest of investors would dare become an entrepreneur in this economy; wannabe investors cling on to solid careers rather than risk it all for some harebrained cash grab.
—Robert Stevens, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained
Adjective
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Dark Winds took an explicit turn with its social and political commentary in its second season; as a result, the dialogue occasionally veered into goofy literalness, and many of its heavy-handed lines were given to Emma.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Mar. 2025
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There’s a Moon Alert all day, which adds to the delays and goofy energy and restricts your spending to food and gas.—
Georgia Nicols,
The Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
No matter what your feelings are about Sternberg and his executive team today, these are not foolish people.—
John Romano,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
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There's nothing foolish about choosing beauty over practicality if that's what your heart desires.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Finally, its focus on physics means that things get silly pretty quickly, which makes for very shareable moments and clips.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
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Dozen Bakery off Nolensville Pike is celebrating this silliest of holidays with special pies and quiche.—
Adam Tamburin,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Ignoring those who served and buried honorably is stupid.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The data suggests that market timing is not a futile exercise but a skill - one that, like any other, is unevenly distributed and requires both technological sophistication and human insight to exploit effectively.—
Steven Desmyter,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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Former Vice President Mohammad-Ali Abtahi dismissed negotiations with Trump as futile, arguing that Trump's leadership made diplomacy ineffective.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Undermining tax collections and the IRS goes hand in glove with Trump’s absurd belief that the U.S. federal government can or should try to fund itself primarily via tariffs.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2025
-
The more absurd or humorous examples, like the animation of Irving that plays at his funeral, can also be disconcerting.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Somewhere up there in Hoops Heaven, Stormin’ Norman Sloan is one giddy Gator who is almost certainly feeling validated and vindicated about the SEC’s basketball awakening.—
Mike Bianchi,
Orlando Sentinel,
20 Mar. 2025
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Indian cricket legend Harmanpreet Kaur was euphoric, roaring loudly into the Mumbai sky and echoed by 15,000 giddy fans at the Brabourne Stadium.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In one particularly horrifying incident, one family of herders lost over 40 of their stock, a fact that would contribute to the death of one child, which then caused the father to go mad and be sent to prison.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2025
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Staff Pick: The mad scramble for backyard eggs Naeema Fineley's backyard chicken coop in Georgia.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC News,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
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