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

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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 Sonny Gray will have to save Boston's season on the mound where his big league career derailed. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 The initial push to revive the series was derailed in part by the allegations against the original show’s creator, Bill Cosby. — Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 The nor’easter derailed my plans for an outdoor run over the weekend. — Alex Harring, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026 The 43-year-old right-hander was making his second start of the year and first since March 30 in a season derailed by a sore hip and hamstring injury. — Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026 But consecutive holding penalties on Cody Mauch and Graham Barton derailed the drive and McLaughlin kicked a 28-yard field goal to tie it. — CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026 That work was derailed when Kennedy fired the entire committee. — Mike Stobbe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 The additional trial in adults 65 and older stems from a controversy that nearly derailed the vaccine’s approval. — Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026 After injuries and ineffectiveness derailed his season, the Cubs are trying to sell Cabrera on being this year’s version of Roki Sasaki, who suddenly clicked out of the bullpen during the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series run. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed

Verb

Adams also expects other aspects of professional sports to suffer, predicting coaches and staff members will be just as distracted by the new game.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
My parents were tense and distracted while my siblings were scared.

— Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of distracted

Verb

People, wildlife and domestic animals get valley fever when the soil in these burrows is disturbed, by a dog digging, a kick of the boot, a shovel, construction equipment, wind or wildfire.

— Susanne Rust Follow, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Clean Regularly Spiders don’t like to be disturbed, so an unused area of your porch is likely to be attractive real estate.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbed

Verb

Ayesha Bell Hardaway, a former prosecutor who is a professor of law at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, is alarmed by the dramatic variation across the country.

— Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026
In voicemails played in court, they were alarmed by not hearing from Machado and her daughters, Julia and Daniela.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Verb

And he cannot be bothered with mentioning any of them even when discussing Watson's history.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Thomas has been estranged from the organization for months over a social media faux pas that bothered him and a lawsuit over sales of his jersey.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of bothered

Verb

Bass is particularly concerned by the relative lack of specialized intervention training for patrol officers who respond to the vast majority of service calls.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
As far as the three major primetime slates are concerned, 32 of the NFL’s Sunday/Monday/Thursday night broadcasts will feature NFC-on-NFC action, while 23 will offer a hybrid NFC-versus-AFC experience.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of concerned

Verb

At the same time, some critics worried that the Obama-era guidance had gone too far, tasking college bureaucrats with investigating criminal allegations and diluting due process.

— Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Across Latin America and the Caribbean, voters worried about rising crime have elected populists who promise to impose order and security in their countries.

— DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Verb

Abiy also angered Somalia by trying to negotiate access to the sea via the territory of Somaliland.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
That is, Lamashtu spoke out about something that angered and disgusted the divine patriarch, and she was cast down to earth.

— Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of angered

Verb

The pic has Lange playing the emotionally troubled and addiction-plagued matriarch Mary Tyrone.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
When officials set out last year to conduct the regular revaluation, however, their efforts were plagued by low response rates and incomplete data.

— John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of plagued

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“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of derailed

verb

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