View synonyms for hit-or-miss

hit-or-miss

[ hit-er-mis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

careless; inattentive; haphazard:
The professor criticized the hit-or-miss quality of our research.

First recorded in 1600–10

Haphazardly, at random. For example, She took dozens of photos, hit or miss, hoping that some would be good . [c. 1600]

Her occasional sketches are hit-or-miss, best when they have some sly subtext.

It probes around more or less hit-or-miss until it locates something, somewhere, that looks habitable.

We had made a wise choice, though on a hit-or-miss formula, and we were content.

He told his stories with a hit-or-miss air, as if accustomed to people of rapid apprehension.

He enjoyed life and wasted no time on trivial worries, hit-or-miss, the keynote to his thought.

A competitive game which is easy to manage is hit-or-miss illustrating.

April 24, 2024gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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