ENGLISH
REFERENCE

haphazard

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //hæpˈhæzɝd// UK //hæphˈæzəd// hap·haz·ard

adj. done in a way that is not planned or organized. You use this to describe something that happens by chance or without any clear order.

adj. done in a disorderly or unsystematic way; lacking a plan or purpose. Often describes processes or arrangements that result from chance rather than intention.


SIMPLE

The books were arranged in a haphazard way on the shelf.

CONTEXTUAL

The project failed because the team followed a haphazard schedule rather than a detailed plan.

COMPLEX

The city's growth was haphazard, with new neighborhoods popping up wherever land was available rather than following a coherent urban design.

Synonyms
Origin

From archaic hap (“chance, luck”) + hazard.

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