でたらめ
でたらめ
na-adjective / noun
nonsense; random; irresponsible; made-up
1.
nonsense; made-up; false
Something that is not true or has no basis in fact.
でたらめを言うな。
Don't talk nonsense.
その話はでたらめだ。
That story is made up.
でたらめな情報を信じてしまった。
I ended up believing false information.
2.
random; haphazard; irresponsible
Done without proper care, thought, or consistency.
でたらめに答えた。
I answered randomly.
でたらめな仕事をするな。
Don't do sloppy work.
でたらめに書いたレポートを提出した。
I submitted a report I wrote haphazardly.
でたらめ may come from 出鱈目, possibly related to dice rolling (random outcomes). It can be written in hiragana, katakana, or kanji.
REGISTER:
This is a casual/informal word. In formal contexts, use 根拠のない, 不正確な, or いい加減な.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- でたらめを言う: to talk nonsense
- でたらめな～: nonsensical/haphazard (adjective)
- でたらめに～: randomly/haphazardly (adverb)