helter-skelter 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of helter-skelternext
1
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed a bill that was pushed through committee in a last-minute helter-skelter burst of legislative activity

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2
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern papers, books, and unopened mail were stacked helter-skelter on the desk

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helter-skelter

2 of 3

adverb

ˌhel-tər-ˈskel-tər How to pronounce helter-skelter (audio)
1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner the sheep ran helter-skelter inside their pen when the coyote appeared in their midst

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2
as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method goods arranged helter-skelter on the shelves of the variety store

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helter-skelter

3 of 3

noun

as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity in the helter-skelter at the amusement park the child got separated from his parents

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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 helter-skelter
Adjective
The helter-skelter run down the line. — Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026 The opening quarter-hour produced a fast but helter-skelter showing. — The Enquirer, 25 Feb. 2023
Adverb
Its regularity and rhythm cut against a helter-skelter modernity that has neither. — Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025 On a day when the Valkyries were stuck in neutral, her helter-skelter play-style and willingness to bomb away from deep was one of the team’s few bright spots. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for helter-skelter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helter-skelter
  1. hurried
  2. random
  3. frantically
  4. randomly
  5. commotion
  6. rushed
  7. scattered
  8. wildly
Adjective
  • Hours later, across the globe, after the Dodgers dispatched the San Diego Padres in a season-opening win – and after Mizuhara served as Ohtani’s interpreter in a hurried and rushed postgame media scrum – Hiltzik called ESPN again.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • That hurried buildup led to an enormous industrial overhang, and, in California’s San Francisco Bay and elsewhere, a sad legacy of polluted and abandoned waterfront.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of hurried
Adjective
  • The show’s first two episodes feature scenes of shadowboxing, random bouts of wrestling and friendly teasing between players and coaches in between the hustle and bustle of an NFL training camp.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Made by stacking general-purpose dynamic random access memory, HBM is the highest bandwidth memory capable of rapid data access that helps AI processors execute tasks.
    — Katie Tarasov, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of random
Adverb
  • By halftime, one was at the hospital, and the other was running for his life on every snap while frantically shaking out his throwing hand.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Their verbal volley is interrupted as each of them frantically googles quotes and facts on everything from the Zionist leader Jabotinsky to the American actor Jordan Peele.
    — Hannah Seligson, Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of frantically
Adverb
  • Players who score five out of five may be randomly selected for one of the Silver Tickets, which grant them access to a bonus question.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
  • All 30 teams were drawn into groups of five randomly within each conference based on win-loss records from last season.
    — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of randomly
Noun
  • Hearing the commotion, John calls for Gates only for the assailant to kick through the door.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Sleep was beginning to finally visit the insomniacs and drunkards of T—in central Manila when a commotion louder than the usual domestic squabbles erupted from the room above Mang Calixto’s bakery.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of commotion
Adjective
  • The teen’s family has said this was a rushed judgment that did not involve a thorough enough investigation.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
  • The rushed and botched release of Apple Intelligence made clear that Apple's AI strategy wasn't fully fleshed out.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz,Zev Fima, CNBC, 10 July 2026
Definition of rushed
Adjective
  • During a walk through the park, CBS News Philadelphia also found scattered screws, metal fragments and broken glass in parts of the lawn.
    — Eva Andersen, CBS News, 30 July 2026
  • The right conversation could turn scattered effort into a working plan.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026
Definition of scattered
Adverb
  • Oren’s particular calibration across all aspects of her atmosphere, design, pacing, and performances make that movie an especially fascinating film to revisit, as the reading of it differs quite wildly each time.
    — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Stewart had been singing with The Faces for several years before launching a wildly successful solo career in the early 1970s.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of wildly

Browse Nearby Words

helps
helter-skelter
helter-skelters
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Cite this Entry

“Helter-skelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helter-skelter. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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