haphazard

English

WOTD – 16 July 2009

Etymology

From hap (“chance, luck”) + hazard.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌhæpˈhæz.əd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌhæpˈhæz.ɚd/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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Adjective

haphazard (not comparable)

1. random; chaotic; incomplete; not thorough, constant, or consistent
   • 1886, N. H. Egleston, Arbor-Day, Popular Science Monthly, p. 689:

     The haphazard efforts of a few, working here and there without concert, easily spent themselves in attaining results far short of what were needed.

   • 1909, Fielding H. Garrison, Josiah Willard Gibbs and his relation to modern science, Popular Science Monthly, p. 191:

     we assume a gas to be an assemblage of elastic spheres or molecules, flying in straight lines in all directions, with swift haphazard collisions and repulsions, like so many billiard balls.

   • 1912, Robert DeC. Ward, The Value of Non-Instrumental Weather Observations, Popular Science Monthly, p. 129:

     There is a very considerable series of observations — non-instrumental, unsystematic, irregular, "haphazard" if you will — which any one with ordinary intelligence and with a real interest in weather conditions may undertake.

   Do not make such haphazard changes to the settings; instead, adjust the knobs carefully, a bit at a time.

Antonyms

• systematic

Derived terms

• haphazardly
• haphazardness

Translations

random, chaotic, incomplete

• Albanian: kuturu (sq), toptan (sq)
• Armenian: պատահական (hy) (patahakan), խառը (hy) (xaṙə)
• Bulgarian: случаен (bg) (slučaen), безсистемен (bg) (bezsistemen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 偶然 (zh) (ǒu’rán); 雜亂無章 (zh) 杂乱无章 (zh) (záluàn wú zhāng)

• Czech: náhodný (cs) m
• Dutch: ongeordend, chaotisch (nl), willekeurig (nl)
• Finnish: sattumanvarainen (fi), satunnainen (fi), umpimähkäinen (fi)
• French: hasardeux (fr), désordonné (fr), aléatoire (fr)
• German: planlos (de), willkürlich (de)
• Hungarian: ötletszerű, rendszertelen (hu), összevissza (hu), véletlenszerű (hu), esetleges (hu)
• Icelandic: tilviljunarkenndur (is); óskipulegur (is)

• Irish: neamhrialta
• Manx: neureilt
• Norwegian: tilfeldig (no)
• Occitan: azardós, aleatòri, caotic, azardívol
• Persian: هچلهف‎ (hačalhaf), الله‌بختی‎ (allâh-baxti)
• Polish: chaotyczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: atabalhoado (pt), Synonyms: aleatório (pt)(random), confuso (pt) (confused), sem pé nem cabeça (pt)
• Russian: случа́йный (ru) (slučájnyj), хаоти́чный (ru) (xaotíčnyj), непостоя́нный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Spanish: a su aire, inconsistente (es), sin ton ni son, fortuito (es), casual (es)
• Swedish: tillfällig (sv)
• Tagalog: pasilambang
• Turkish: gelişigüzel (tr), rastgele (tr), plansız (tr)