half-baked

adjective

ˈhaf-ˈbākt 

ˈhäf-

1

a

: poorly developed or carried out

a half-baked idea

half-baked research

b

: lacking adequate planning or forethought

a half-baked scheme for getting rich

c

: lacking in judgment, intelligence, or common sense

2

: imperfectly baked : underdone

Synonyms

• absurd
• asinine
• balmy
• brainless
• bubbleheaded
• cockeyed
• crackpot
• crazy
• cuckoo
• daffy
• daft
• dippy
• dotty
• fatuous
• featherheaded
• fool
• foolish
• half-witted
• harebrained
• inept
• insane
• jerky
• kooky
• kookie
• loony
• looney
• lunatic
• lunkheaded
• mad
• nonsensical
• nutty
• preposterous
• sappy
• screwball
• senseless
• silly
• simpleminded
• stupid
• tomfool
• unwise
• wacky
• whacky
• weak-minded
• witless
• zany

Examples of half-baked in a Sentence

he's always got some half-baked "solution" to a difficult, complex problem

Recent Examples on the Web

Before the vote, residents' comments were almost entirely favorable, with the rare dissenter sounding half-baked, seemingly giving blame to Warshay for invasive weeds in her yard. —Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 9 Dec. 2024

Certain lines rely on overly clunky allusions, half-baked metaphors, or both. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 26 Nov. 2024

The disconnect was visible on the court, where the Sky often ran half-baked offensive sets that underutilized Cardoso and Reese while completely ignoring the 3-point arc. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Nov. 2024

Anxious interactions prompt a half-baked scheme as the moon and Mars square off. —USA TODAY, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

half-baked

adjective

-ˈbākt

1

a

: poorly developed or carried out

a half-baked plan

b

: lacking in judgment or common sense

half-baked ideas

2

: imperfectly baked : underdone