Meanings
comparative more hit- · comparative -miss · superlative most hit- · superlative -miss · alternative hit-and-miss · alternative hit or miss · alternative hit and miss
- USidiomaticinformalInconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing with no apparent pattern.
On the contrary, these cones are made up of materials of all sizes mixed together in the most hit or miss fashion.
1919, Robert F. Griggs, “The Great Mageik Landslide”, in The Ohio Journal of Science, volume 20, number 8, page 342Synonyms: hitty-missy
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveInconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing with no apparent pattern.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Hungarian próba szerencse, találomra
- próba szerencseinconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing
- találomrainconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing
Portuguese imprevisível, errático
- imprevisívelinconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing
- erráticoinconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing
Spanish ensayo y error
- ensayo y errorinconsistent, unpredictable, erratic; sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing
Cite this entry
hit-or-miss. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit-or-miss
“hit-or-miss.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit-or-miss. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hit-or-miss,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit-or-miss.
Source: hit-or-miss on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.