Half-ass

//ˈhæfæs// adj, verb, slang

adj, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To perform a task incompletely or carelessly. slang, transitive, vulgar

    "Near-synonyms: phone in, shortchange, underdo"

Adjective
  1. 1
    Produced in an incompetent or desultory manner, or of something lacking in quality or substance; of low rank; incompetent. slang, vulgar

    "the only abortion she could get even in the city would be a half-ass job by some half-ass doctor who could mess her up for the rest of her life"

Synonyms

All synonyms
cut cornershalf-assedphone inshortchangeunderdo

Example

More examples

"the only abortion she could get even in the city would be a half-ass job by some half-ass doctor who could mess her up for the rest of her life"

Etymology

From half + -ass, see half-assed.

Related phrases

half-assery

More for "half-ass"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.