haphazard

/ˌˈhæpˌhæzərd/

/hæpˈhæzəd/

Other forms: haphazards

Anything haphazard is random, disorganized, slipshod, or hit-or-miss. A tent erected haphazardly might look more like a big nylon bag of dirty laundry than a place to sleep.

Ever heard the expression "I'll hazard a guess?" In it, the word hazard means "chance," as in "take a chance." Think of the hap in haphazard as short for "happen." Combine hap- and -hazard and you get something that happens (or appears to have happened) by chance. If you approach a math problem with haphazard reasoning, you're likely to get it wrong.

Definitions of haphazard

1. adjective

   dependent upon or characterized by chance
   “a haphazard plan of action”

   synonyms: hit-or-miss

   random

   lacking any definite plan or order or purpose; governed by or depending on chance
2. adjective

   marked by great carelessness
   “a most haphazard system of record keeping”

   synonyms: slapdash, slipshod, sloppy

   careless

   marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
3. adverb

   without care; in a slapdash manner
   “the Prime Minister was wearing a grey suit and a white shirt with a soft collar, but his neck had become thinner and the collar stood away from it as if it had been bought haphazard”

   synonyms: haphazardly