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

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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

Some of the stories are just spoken matter-of-factly, while others are acted out with Jaku doing all the voices.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Whether defendant Tyler Robinson acted out of political animus could be key for prosecutors seeking the death penalty — or for his attorneys in taking that punishment off the table.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of acted out

Verb

Cityside, guests can head to the thumping heart of Austin nightlife where the Live Music Capital of the World always has a new favorite act and dance floor to cut up waiting just around the corner.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
In July, the Public Service Commission requested utilities submit plans to cut up to 45% of savings from the program.

— Tom Nyein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of cut up

Verb

The creditors’ lawsuit describes Kenny as a bullying presence who routinely threatened to fire anyone who disobeyed his orders.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Jeanie Buss also wants proof that Joey and Janie Buss disobeyed the 2017 court order, along with an order requiring them to show cause of why they should not be held in contempt of court.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of disobeyed

Verb

His son Robin Birley carried on the tradition with the opening of 5 Hertford Street in 2018 and his beautiful restaurant Oswald’s, where members can keep their own wines in dedicated drawers.

— Mark Cecil, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026
At its peak, PTL was bringing in more than $128 million annually and was carried on 1,300 cable systems with 12 million subscribers.

— Ronnie Glassberg, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of carried on

Verb

Recent developments have made new an old idea that emerged among nineteenth-century intellectuals in tsarist Russia who rebelled against the elite fixation with the West.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
That year, Indian soldiers serving the British East India Company rebelled against the British commanding officers, killing many of them and sparking an uprising that spread rapidly across much of northern India.

— Aishwarya Lakshmi, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebelled

Verb

Navarrete reveled with one woman over her husband’s release from a detention facility.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Walker wore his Cardinals hat backward, chewed a big wad of bubble gum and reveled afterward in flashing his imitation Liberty Bell bling, the champions chain presented by Ryan Howard.

— Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

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 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of acted up

verb

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