harum-scarum
English
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harum-scarum
- /ˌhɛəɹəmˈskɛəɹəm/ US
Where it comes from
Uncertain. Likely from hare (“harass, harry”) 'em (“them”) and scare 'em (“frighten them”); alternately the first element may be from hare (“rabbit-like animals”), or the second element may be a variant of stare. Attested from the late 17th century.
Compare English willy-nilly of the same meaning.
adjective
- wild, careless, irresponsible 1832, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Eugene Aram Lester's good heart will be to hear that little Peter is so improved;--no longer a dissolute, harum-scarum fellow, throwing away his money, and always in debt.
adverb
- wildly, carelessly, irresponsibly 1800, Maria Edgeworth, Castle Rackrent […] for he never looked after anything at all, but harum-scarum called for everything as if we were conjurors, or he in a public-house.
noun harum-scarums
- A giddy, rash person.
Translations
Every language
adj wild, careless, irresponsible
| Русский | безрассудный bezrassudnyj |
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Talk about this word "harum-scarum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/harum-scarum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. harum-scarum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/harum-scarum "harum-scarum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/harum-scarum.Cite this
@misc{harum_scarum_2026,
title = {harum-scarum},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/harum-scarum},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
