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 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 And now each of those meetings are being derailed by combating misinformation about vaccines. — Roshan N. Bransden, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026 Injuries derailed Jackson’s 2025 season after a lights out first three games. — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026 The show follows 16-year-old Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau), a single sculler whose entire life is derailed after her father, David (Byron Lawson), a wealthy hotelier, is caught stealing money from his clients. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 Ross started her athletic career as a gymnast for a decade but an injury derailed that career. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 This recovery was derailed by the April 2024 Israeli airstrikes on Iran. — Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026 But his career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car accidents and pain pill dependence. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Next year’s Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow hopes to avoid whatever lingering DC baggage and other factors derailed Supergirl. — Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed

Verb

To spend two and a half minutes studying that goal so forensically, and then seemingly lose sight of how Fernandez, from an offside position, distracted Martinez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, is the worst of both worlds.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
The pain distracted Garrett while facing a 49ers lineup that included three-time All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of distracted

Verb

Americans appear increasingly alarmed by the technology,with 7 in 10 polled in March opposing local construction of data centers that power AI technology, according to a Gallup survey.

— Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Nonetheless, the testing has shown continued drop in US scores over the last decade, that have alarmed many educationalists.

— Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Verb

She was treated with such indifference by the Bordens that, with the exception of Abby, no one bothered to learn her name, calling her by the name of their last servant, Maggie, instead.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
What’s bothered me, though, is how its backers have anchored their messaging around a lot of misleading generalizations about the state of college sports.

— Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of bothered

Verb

Take what happened during the Covid-19 pandemic— the Fed, then led by Jerome Powell, was concerned that the pandemic would lead to massive layoffs.

— Scott Horsley, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
On the other side is Sharaf with a record of 4-2-0; there is reason to be concerned that Sharaf struggles in this match.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of concerned

Verb

Sánchez is facing mounting scrutiny amid a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, where the flood of thousands of migrants has angered residents in the tiny community, which is ill-equipped to handle such an influx.

— Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Prosecutors argued Monday that Kading’s disclosures angered Davis.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of angered

Verb

With local cops, plagued by rumors of departmental misdeeds, looking for a peaceful solution and federal authorities contemplating extreme action, the situation escalates.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
That gave North Crowley a 35-28 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the second quarter, despite a first half plagued with penalties.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of derailed

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

elegiac

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes