DERAILED Synonyms: 92 Similar and Opposite Words

derailed

verb

past tense of derail

as in distracted

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy according to police, the suspect had been derailed in recent months by mounting financial problems

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 derailed Perhaps there is no hungrier team than the Broncos, whose 14-3 2025 season was derailed when quarterback Bo Nix was injured in the playoffs, forcing a backup to start the AFC championship game. — Nbc Sports, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026 Max Meyer is still sidelined with a neck strain that has derailed the second half of his All-Star season. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026 His time at receiver has been limited behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in Cincinnati and injuries have derailed too many seasons. — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 If Richardson could no longer coach, the parents feared, all of that might be derailed. — Molly Hensley-Clancy, ProPublica, 20 Aug. 2026 The height of hurricane season looms, and Gulf Coast refineries have in the past been derailed by major hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 Leading the way on offense will be two players whose junior seasons were derailed by injuries, running back Ollie Steiner and wide receiver Jack Burger. — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 On June 10, 1971, an Amtrak train derailed near Tonti, about 250 miles southwest of Chicago. — Todd Feurer, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Injuries have derailed him since then, with Minnesota becoming his fifth team in four years. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed

Verb

You’re not distracted by the clients waiting behind you or the sense that someone is watching and waiting for your chair to open up.

— Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
If it is blocked, both studios could emerge from the litigation having spent a year distracted and constrained while the rest of the industry moved forward.

— Cory Jacobson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of distracted

Verb

As a parent who has purchased my share of scary Halloween costumes, I was particularly disturbed by the controversy now engulfing Target.

— Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
If disturbed, asbestos’ microscopic crystalline fibers get into the air, where they can be inhaled, cause lung scarring and lead to fatal cancers.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of disturbed

Verb

California Forever has increasingly pitched the Solano Shipyard as part of a broader effort to rebuild the US maritime industry, a priority among both Democrats and Republicans alarmed over its decline.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
The world’s most powerful economies are increasingly alarmed by their declining birthrates, and there’s no shortage of theories on why.

— Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Verb

During a performance, Hankerson said he was concerned watching as his mom, who’s been performing for 75 years, fumbled through the set.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Some of that work instead has fallen on journalists, activists and others concerned that anyone with access to the company’s private camera networks can follow virtually any driver's movements with a query as effortless as a Google search.

— Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of concerned

Verb

Longer-term yields on 10-year and 30-year Treasuries were mostly flat, suggesting investors aren’t worried that higher rates will be needed for a long stretch of time to fight inflation.

— Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Nvidia also said that Amazon Web Services would purchase 2 million of its graphic processors, offering an encouraging sign for investors worried that hyperscaler spending could shrink.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of worried

Verb

That will make affordable tickets more difficult to find, especially as the tournament reports registering record-breaking visits, and already has angered fans and some players.

— Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
That angered Michigan Democrats who were frustrated with El-Sayed, and brought Jeffries and other Democrats into the fray, putting the candidate El-Sayed had invested the most in on the defensive.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of angered

Verb

Garbage’s set was plagued by technical difficulties, but singer Shirley Manson kept her cool, joking that this was just the kind of thing the band was used to.

— Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2026
The research team identified opportunities to improve the atomic layer etching (ALE) approach, which offers significant advantages over the conventional methods but was plagued by difficulties for practical use.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of plagued

Browse Nearby Words

derail

derailed

derailing

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of derailed

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes