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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Recent Examples of derailed For Republicans, the flipping of the House chambers throws GOP leadership into uncertainty and means President Donald Trump‘s agenda in his final two years in power will likely be stymied if not totally derailed. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026 In January, more than two hours further south along the route, a train derailed and struck another traveling in the opposite direction, killing 46 people. — ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026 The News OPay’s abrupt withdrawal of its $304 million US IPO on Friday cast a shadow over one of Africa’s most ambitious fintech listings, after an undisclosed foreign regulatory inquiry derailed its New York debut. — Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 2 Nov. 2026 In January, more than two hours farther south along the route, a train derailed and struck another traveling in the opposite direction, killing 46 people. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 Many things derailed that previous rebuild owner Steve Ross attempted to orchestrate. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 1 Nov. 2026 The entire luxury of having an easy slate could get derailed once again with a bad afternoon at AT&T Stadium on Sunday. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026 The collision derailed two carriages on the tail of the Iryo train and the front of the Renfe train. — Joseph Wilson, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026 The collision derailed two carriages on the tail of the IRYO train and the front of the RENFE train. — Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for derailed

Verb

And, on the eve of the election, El-Sayed’s primary opponent, Haley Stevens, distracted from the conversation with her left-field endorsement of Rogers that may have ejected her from the Democratic party and possibly a political career.

— Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2026
The first officer used her Taser twice on the dogs, which distracted them but did not stop them from attacking, police say.

— Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of distracted

Verb

That move sparked enormous street protests in Israel, and alarmed many Israeli citizens overseas.

— Daniel Brook, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
The new company has nearly $80 billion in debt, with leverage of six-and-a-half times trailing earnings, a ratio that has alarmed investors and triggered credit rating downgrades.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of alarmed

Verb

No one from the magazine bothered to help clean up the mess, but Camper, Tim and Mike, until then occupying each other by the Golden Age of SF section, responded rapidly.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Not that those food safety shortcomings bothered rodents at The Blue Store aka Bargain Supermarket, 2901 NW 19th St.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of bothered

Verb

Opponents of Proposition 40 are concerned that the threat of wealth taxes will lead to billionaires continuing to leave the state, resulting in a long-term decrease in state income tax revenue.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Campaign promises Castro says residents continue to be concerned about development, corruption and public safety.

— Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of concerned

Verb

Democrats also swept all three available school board seats, just two years after Republican state lawmakers made the traditionally nonpartisan elections partisan, a change that Democratic candidates worried would put them at a disadvantage.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 2026
Yet Wall Street may have found opportunity in the same slowdown that worried AI's biggest backers.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of worried

Verb

The trail’s California Environmental Quality Act exemption has angered an array of people.

— Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
Soon, other aggrieved groups—farmers, trade unionists, climate activists, yellow-vest protesters angered by rising costs—joined in, and the demonstrations that followed quickly became some of France’s most widespread and explosive since 1968.

— Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of angered

Verb

But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Joan realizes that her mother’s vanishing meshes with a larger tapestry of tragedy that has plagued their family over the years.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of plagued

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“Derailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/derailed. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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verb

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