as in mess
a state in which everything is out of order
careful planning had eliminated most of the muss that usually accompanies a move to a new house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the wind mussed up my hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muss
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021
No other muss or complications.
—Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 8 June 2020
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024
America’s chief trust-buster will have her plans mussed.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muss
Noun
No-fuss, no muss.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021
No other muss or complications.
—Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 8 June 2020
Verb
Pearce, in a magnificent performance, plays him as a kind of citadel—towering yet human-scaled, his immaculate dress and coiffure barely mussed by the occasional burst of temper or spasm of ego.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024
America’s chief trust-buster will have her plans mussed.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muss
Noun
-
Another recent video on her page revealed this wasn't the last time her cat used a ball of yarn to cause a mess.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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Other traders were telling their stories better than us—our visual identity was a bit of a mess at the time—and lastly, people love great sandwiches!—
Lela London,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Verb
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Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
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It’s reported that 44% of workers' skills will be disrupted within the next five years due to rapid advances in AI and automation.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Noun
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It’s said that during the festival, the gates of hell open and ghosts visit earth.—
Gabino Iglesias,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Raising Cane’s, El Pollo Loco The Treasure Valley — particularly Meridian — has come a long way on its journey toward chain-restaurant heaven and hell.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This tactic—arresting judges for their courtroom decisions—has disturbing echoes in other countries where judicial independence has been undermined: in Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, in Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Turkey, and in other places where democracy has given way to executive supremacy.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
-
No doubt, climate change threatens to muck it all up, disturbing patterns that have existed for centuries.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Emotional devastation lingers in L.A. fire zones March 9, 2025 Questions of how people can donate their own cookbook collections to the cause are already pouring in; Now Serving hopes to organize donation drives in the future, perhaps for an event in July, six months from the fires’ havoc.—
Stephanie Breijo,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
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The film rocketed back in time to show the havoc the creature wreaked on a group of Native Americans in the Great Plains during the 18th century.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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In recent months though, and as the weather’s picked up, another style of jeans has been shuffling their way onto our moodboards.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
-
No more shuffling through your wallet for cash or a credit card.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Instead, voters themselves are jumbles of competing and sometimes contradictory interests.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Baker also leads the orchestra, which sounds grand — although the sound in the arts center’s Pugh Theater often left musicians, lead singers and chorus all at the same level, with actors speaking over all of it at the same time to create a sonic jumble.—
Matthew J. Palm,
Orlando Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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And when the series takes an occasional serious turn, you'll just be confused.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
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However, simply getting older doesn’t equate to consistently missing bills or appointments, having a hard time speaking with people, or feeling lost or confused in places that are familiar to you.—
Alisa Hrustic,
SELF,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muss. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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