HIT-AND-MISS Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

hit-and-miss

adjective

Definition of hit-and-miss

as in haphazard

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hit-and-miss Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond was more hit-and-miss, and Oregon State’s Silas Bolden had little impact other than letting punts bounce for extra yards time after time. — Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 9 Mar. 2026 But overall, styling is hit-and-miss on this one in my humble opinion. — New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2026 And to say its fusillade of jokes is hit-and-miss would also be a charitable take. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026 The hit-and-miss driverless experience comes despite Musk responding in September to a Robotaxi user’s social media lament about having a supervisor in the driver’s seat. — Andrea Guzmán, Austin American Statesman, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hit-and-miss

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit-and-miss

Adjective

The current approach to AI mirrors the haphazard medical standards of the early 20th century, Bressman says, before medical schools, medical boards and other authorities agreed on national benchmarks for training and licensing.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 July 2026
Even the redactions were haphazard, with some names still visible.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026

Definition of haphazard

Adjective

That production cap isn't random – Ferrari carefully chose it to honor the 1,499cc displacement of the company's very first V12 engine introduced in 1947.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026
This equipment can also drift from its initial settings due to random factors, such as the hardware heating up as it’s used.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

Definition of random

Adjective

Netflix’s original programming has been rather hit-or-miss lately, with new seasons arriving with big viewership drops and, sometimes, sliding scores.

— Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
This early in the forecast, yes, but they’ll be scattered and hit-or-miss.

— Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 22 June 2026

Definition of hit-or-miss

Adjective

Liam, once aimless and unhoused, quickly finds purpose in the charade as a husband and father.

— Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 June 2026
Yet, after advancing to the conference finals in 1974, the Knicks were aimless for a decade and a half and didn’t return to the East finals again until 1993.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 14 June 2026

Definition of aimless

Adjective

The impact of that shocking final scene is sufficient to send viewers out feeling enervated after what’s been a pretty desultory final act.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
Where Bonnie and Clyde glamorizes its couple and their crimes, Loden renders Wanda passive and desultory in the lawless turn her life has taken.

— Air Mail, Air Mail, 23 May 2026

Definition of desultory

Adjective

Every state taxes alcoholic beverages, though the tax treatment of certain alcoholic beverages may appear arbitrary.

— Adam Hoffer, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
The war period saw its own moments of threats to rights, such as suspending habeas corpus, the legal mechanism to prevent arbitrary detention.

— Chris Kenning, USA Today, 2 July 2026

Definition of arbitrary

Adjective

Researchers also measured static electric fields by observing how stray fields displaced the ion from its resting position.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026
It is famously located in a massive parking lot, and close to nothing other than a horse track that houses plenty of stray cats.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2026

Definition of stray

Browse Nearby Words

hit

hit-and-miss

hit-and-run

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hit-and-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit-and-miss. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hit-and-miss

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fulcrum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes