as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
the police department's investigation of the charges against the mayor was slapdash and not very thorough
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Recent Examples of slapdash
But without state licenses, the shops were playing by their own set of rules — no testing, slapdash labeling, no taxes — which even the staunchest legalization advocates feared could choke out the nascent legal industry.
—
Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The internet tends to flatten all that, though; a casual user might not know the difference between a trusted source and a slapdash amateur.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
How about to public peace? Aid groups say the Taliban are not equipped for the wave of returnees, who have been pouring out of Pakistan and into slapdash relocation camps near the Torkham and Chaman border crossings.
—Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2023
Their brand was chaos: live shows that were transcendent or tragicomic depending on the drugs involved; albums that interpolated brilliant Stones-adjacent youth anthems and devastating country weepers with slapdash Kiss covers and improvised jams where no one played their actual instrument.
—Elizabeth Nelson, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for slapdash
Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The internet tends to flatten all that, though; a casual user might not know the difference between a trusted source and a slapdash amateur.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
How about to public peace? Aid groups say the Taliban are not equipped for the wave of returnees, who have been pouring out of Pakistan and into slapdash relocation camps near the Torkham and Chaman border crossings.
—Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2023
Their brand was chaos: live shows that were transcendent or tragicomic depending on the drugs involved; albums that interpolated brilliant Stones-adjacent youth anthems and devastating country weepers with slapdash Kiss covers and improvised jams where no one played their actual instrument.
—Elizabeth Nelson, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for slapdash
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slapdash
Adjective
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Nicki Minaj was reportedly the target of a random swatting attack by someone who told police there had been a shooting at her Hidden Hills home.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
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As such, The Studio is shrill and talky, its chaotic scenes sparked by random performers like Charlize Theron, Zac Efron, Olivia Wilde and Sarah Polley, all of whom want something from Remick.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Too many leaders seek to lead down by being authoritative, by pushing dictates on people and relentlessly driving forward toward arbitrary goals and deadlines.—
Andrew Deutscher,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The responses, submitted by a fairly arbitrary group of women, range from profound to half-hearted.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The mass arrests and roundups thus far have been so haphazard that there is a very real likelihood that innocent individuals have also been swept up and deported.—
Nisha Whitehead,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2025
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But swirling around it are immigration restrictions, headlong and haphazard reductions in Federal spending and a separate but related confidence shock weighing on consumer behavior.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The cuts would devastate weather and climate research as weather is becoming more erratic, extreme and costly.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
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Wall Street has been in an erratic yo-yo pattern since Donald Trump announced, held off, implemented, augmented, and paused worldwide tariffs.—
Lieke ten Brummelhuis,
Forbes.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Slapdash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slapdash. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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