half-assed

[ haf-ast, hahf- ]

adjective

, Slang: Vulgar.

1. insufficient or haphazard; not fully planned or developed.
2. incompetent; lacking sufficient ability or knowledge.

half-assed

adjective

1. incompetent; inept
2. lacking efficiency or organization

Word History and Origins

Origin of half-assed¹

First recorded in 1960–65; half + ass ² + -ed ³

Example Sentences

The video does include a few half-assed shots of a wolf (though he HARDLY looks dire).

From The Daily Beast

What a throwaway, half-assed response devoid of any sort of research.

From The Daily Beast

Somers has gotten a lot of flak for her crazy assertions and half-assed medical theories.

From The Daily Beast

It was “half-assed,” observes a Middle East insider close to the administration.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, the studio got a half-assed explanation: “No points for early,” I argue.

From The Daily Beast

I didn't do it, and I can beat any case that half-assed ex-ambulance-chaser, Farnsworth, could dream up against me.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aimless
• arbitrary
• careless
• casual
• desultory
• disorganized
• erratic
• helter-skelter
• indiscriminate
• offhand
• random
• slapdash
• uncoordinated