ACTED UP Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

acted up

verb

past tense of act up

as in acted out

to behave badly the two-year-old was acting up in church so much that her dad had to take her outside

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cut up

to engage in attention-getting playful or boisterous behavior you should have seen the boys acting up when they put on their aprons

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of acted up And of course, Peterson not playing would have made some wonder if the McDonald’s All-American’s hamstring had acted up again. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acted up

Verb

Eventually, the rewrite and actors workshop rehearsal combined — a two-week period in which Jones, McCormick, Wilde, Rogen, Cruz, and Norton acted out, improvised scenes, and, most importantly, talked about characters.

— Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 24 June 2026
In the video, Allie dramatically acted out both sides of the conversation, capturing the feeling of trying to extract a straightforward answer from her mom.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

Definition of acted out

Verb

Unusual colorways and short production runs contribute to rarity, and uncut original lengths are prized, since most bolts have been cut up and used.

— Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 July 2026
Everything is cut up and put together through chance operations into what Cage called a Musicircus.

— Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of cut up

Verb

However, all of the city’s fire stations seemingly disobeyed the mayor by lowering their flags.

— R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
The group says Ensign misled courts, disobeyed court orders and failed to intervene when lawyers under his supervision engaged in misconduct.

— Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 25 Apr. 2026

Definition of disobeyed

Verb

While doing press for her film, The Odyssey, in New York City, the actress wore a bright red jumpsuit with a drop-waist peplum that showed off her baby bump.

— Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026
Brittany Mahomes showed off a head full of romantic wavy curls created by Nashville stylist Brooke Barloe, who posted a photo on her Instagram.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026

Definition of showed off

Verb

Fans like Melau carried on as if Brazil, a frequent World Cup contender, was still playing.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Pipeline line fill, tank bottoms and other operational inventories are often carried on company balance sheets but generate little direct revenue.

— Mia Gindis, Fortune, 9 July 2026

Definition of carried on

Verb

Not be outdone, a couple of New Jersey towns even 'rebelled' against data centers despite there being no plan to actually build them!

— Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 24 June 2026
Ever since the Haitian revolutionaries first rebelled against the French in 1791, the proslavery and imperialist powers of Europe and the Americas had a special interest in ensuring that Haiti failed.

— Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 June 2026

Definition of rebelled

Verb

While hundreds reveled at Thursday night’s all-out bash for The Pierre hotel’s 95th anniversary, some of the building’s tenants in the floors above haven’t been feeling quite as celebratory.

— Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025
In the party scene, though, there would be plenty of swooping camera movements as the guests revelled.

— Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Definition of reveled

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acted (toward)

acted up

acting

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“Acted up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acted%20up. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of acted up

verb

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