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
One of Steve’s harebrained schemes involves founding a movie theater speakeasy, for which the film-loving pair decides to pinch the private print at the following week’s engagement.
—
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 26 June 2025
Thereafter, a harebrained surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born!
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
There’s enough conversational downtime between each phase of their plan to establish the details of their home lives, which involve either overbearing or distant parents, subtly framing their harebrained crypto scheme as an act of rousing teenage rebellion.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Things got even more harebrained further down the Reddit thread.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 26 June 2025
Thereafter, a harebrained surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born!
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
There’s enough conversational downtime between each phase of their plan to establish the details of their home lives, which involve either overbearing or distant parents, subtly framing their harebrained crypto scheme as an act of rousing teenage rebellion.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025
Things got even more harebrained further down the Reddit thread.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harebrained
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harebrained
Adjective
-
David Ketchum, the goofy comic actor and prolific TV writer best known for squeezing into such stuffy spaces as vending machines, trash cans and airport lockers as Agent 13 on the fabled sitcom Get Smart, has died.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
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But his fiery presence on the court—and goofy persona off it—have made Medvedev a fan favorite.—
Brett Knight,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Perhaps outright incarceration is foolish, but some responsibility should fall on the parents’ shoulders.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Aug. 2025
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Given that association with the Trumps and their circle defines the club, Donald, Jr., would be foolish to expect less than a fifth of any profits.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Alcaraz and Sinner are early enough in their careers that debates around their legacies feel silly.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
20 Aug. 2025
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Evans described Steve as goofy, silly, and full of charm, with a love for food and people alike.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Jess: The curds themselves are crispy, but the toast is stupid.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
22 Aug. 2025
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The dialogue wasn’t dumbed down and stupid comic book stuff.—
William Earl,
Variety,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Bodyguard of Lies, an investigation into the United States’ bloody, costly, and ultimately futile war in Afghanistan, will open theatrically for a limited run in New York on September 12, before bowing on the Paramount+ platform on Sept. 23.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
13 Aug. 2025
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But given the likely futile nature of the Braves' remaining games at that point, he might unofficially be done for the year.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
My point wasn’t that men have had a harder time than women — that would be absurd.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 Aug. 2025
-
Given the already substantial spend on incoming transfers, suggesting the club needs more, possibly sending its spending past the $500 million mark, seems absurd, almost greedy.—
James Nalton,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The girls are giddy; excited about their adventure.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
4 Aug. 2025
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The East German guards, many still in uniform but without their lethal machine guns, seemed amused, almost giddy.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harebrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harebrained. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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