as in half-baked
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Recent Examples of half-cocked
His paranoia, played with clumsy charm by a mustachioed and bleary-eyed Leonardo DiCaprio, is half-cocked and somewhat comical.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
That cycle has lasted decades, a past strewn with half-cocked plans, bankruptcies, struggling businesses, recriminations, and a neighborhood that refuses to give up on itself or surrender its personality.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025
And yet, all of a sudden, there was the commotion typical of when a manager walks into a room deep in a stadium as reporters rush to put their phones on the desk and stumble awkwardly, laptops half-cocked, back to their seats.
—James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The way reason permeated the front offices has bled onto the field, and the players are more reasonable, more rational and not likely to go off half-cocked.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2024
David Sims, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025
That cycle has lasted decades, a past strewn with half-cocked plans, bankruptcies, struggling businesses, recriminations, and a neighborhood that refuses to give up on itself or surrender its personality.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 21 May 2025
And yet, all of a sudden, there was the commotion typical of when a manager walks into a room deep in a stadium as reporters rush to put their phones on the desk and stumble awkwardly, laptops half-cocked, back to their seats.
—James Horncastle, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
The way reason permeated the front offices has bled onto the field, and the players are more reasonable, more rational and not likely to go off half-cocked.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 25 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for half-cocked
Adjective
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Plus, the sheer volume of all those half-baked proclamations has meant the half-life of a negative or embarrassing one — like the public rejection American Airlines CEO Robert Isom handed Kirby — is shorter than ever before.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Not because of a convoluted plot or half-baked characters.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Of all the Yellowstone spinoffs, Dutton Ranch feels like the most can’t-miss — and maybe also the most ill-advised.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
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Time will tell what these partners are able to do with regard to safety, but releasing it to the general public would certainly have been ill-advised and dangerous.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Prosecutors allege the defendants conspired to embezzle millions that went toward salary and benefits for no-show jobs, luxury international travel, fine dining, vacation payouts and unauthorized loans.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
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The addition was a prompt injection, a form of AI attack that exploits an LLM’s inability to distinguish between legitimate user prompts and those from unauthorized, potentially malicious third parties.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Shirilla was a frequent, spontaneous poster, and some of her content could be interpreted in poor taste, particularly in the aftermath of the fateful tragedy.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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Today could bring unexpected travel plans, a spontaneous invitation or a conversation that completely changes your perspective on something.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Intrigued by the world of espionage, Bond finds an unexpected ally in M (Priyanga Burford), who sees his potential as an agent capable of taking control in messy situations by leaning into his instinctive and improvisational style.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
26 May 2026
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The Spanish international might have scored on his comeback, prodding an instinctive effort over the bar from close range.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Half-cocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/half-cocked. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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