harum-scarum

adjective

har·​um-scar·​um ˌher-əm-ˈsker-əm How to pronounce harum-scarum (audio)
Synonyms of harum-scarumnext
: reckless, irresponsible
harum-scarum adverb

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of harum-scarum in a Sentence

a harum-scarum dash through the crowded terminal to make the flight

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from archaic hare to harass + scare

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of harum-scarum was in 1751

Rhymes for harum-scarum

See All Rhymes for harum-scarum

Browse Nearby Words

Hartwell
harum-scarum
Hārūn ar-Rashīd
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harum-scarum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harum-scarum. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

harum-scarum

adjective
har·​um-scar·​um
ˌhar-əm-ˈskar-əm,
ˌher-əm-ˈsker-
: reckless, irresponsible
harum-scarum adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All