Synonyms

hit-and-miss

American

[hit-n-mis] / ˈhɪt nˈmɪs /

adjective

sometimes successful or rewarding and sometimes not.

hit-and-miss British

adjective

Also: hit or miss. informal random; haphazard

a hit-and-miss affair
the technique is very hit and miss

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hit-and-miss

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And to say its fusillade of jokes is hit-and-miss would also be a charitable take.

From Los Angeles Times

Lucasfilm was hit-and-miss under Kennedy—for every Star Wars success story like The Force Awakens, there were duds like Solo, a spinoff that focuses on original trilogy icon Han Solo.

From Barron's

Kinghorn might well be playing for a starting place given that Hugo Keenan was hit-and-miss in the first Test.

From BBC

After - by its high standards - a hit-and-miss couple of years, Marvel is hoping for major success with Captain America: Brave New World, where Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson takes on the Cap America mantle; Thunderbolts, where a group of anti-heroes including Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova take on government missions; and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as the titluar quartet of heroes.

From BBC

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