hit-or-miss 1 of 2

adjective

ˌhit-ər-ˈmis How to pronounce hit-or-miss (audio)
Definition of hit-or-missnext
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern your hit-or-miss schedule for taking your medication is going to land you in the hospital again

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hit or miss

2 of 2

adverb

as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method I was learning Spanish hit or miss, mostly just by hearing my friends speak it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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-or-miss
Adjective
The storms are hit-or-miss, so some places will experience deluges while others stay dry. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 While the bliss of a spa treatment will eventually wear off and shore excursions can be hit-or-miss, paying for a balcony cabin stands out as one of the most reliable cruise upgrades. — Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2026
Adverb
With Disney serving as popular culture’s foremost purveyor of such retreads, the formula for what makes a live-action remake hit or miss with audiences could hardly seem less formulaic. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 14 July 2026 Animal prints are hit or miss, but this one is done incredibly well. — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for hit-or-miss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit-or-miss
  1. random
  2. randomly
  3. scattered
  4. arbitrary
  5. erratic
Adjective
  • On the way across the bay, Melanie is attacked by a random seagull, setting up the sinister plot device.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Davis confessed to taking mushrooms, grabbing a gun, and shooting at random people in South Beach.
    — Anna McAllister, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of random
Adverb
  • The researchers analyzed 551 female patients across 73 hospitals in China who were randomly assigned to receive either the drug intravenously every three weeks, or the physician’s choice of chemotherapy.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • In it, Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo had 24 male college students randomly assigned to play guards or inmates in a mock prison to see how power structures could affect the behavior of ordinary people.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of randomly
Adjective
  • That rainfall was predicted to arrive in the form of light, scattered showers.
    — Austin Turner, CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Security is thin and scattered downtown, and that morning was no different.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of scattered
Adjective
  • The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found al-Faraj’s detention arbitrary, according to a report published in December 2024.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Someone set the arbitrary number at ten, and the whole point of the exercise is to whittle the list down to ten.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of arbitrary
Adjective
  • Climate change also brings increasingly erratic storm systems, heat and rainfall patterns that leave standing water, creating conditions ideal for mosquitoes to breed.
    — Kylee Rae Noel, The Conversation, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Baseball is an ensemble game, a wildly erratic sport to predict.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of erratic

Browse Nearby Words

hit (on or upon)
hit-or-miss
hit or miss
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hit-or-miss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit-or-miss. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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