Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

helter-skelter

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of helter-skelter

1 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
Synonyms of helter-skelter

cursory, flying, hasty, headlong, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, precipitate, precipitous, rash, rushed
Words Related to helter-skelter

breakneck, breathtaking

headstrong, heady, hotheaded, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, madcap, reckless, unadvised

quick, rapid, speedy, swift

horseback, impromptu, makeshift, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, rush, slapdash, snap, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment

abrupt, sudden
Near Antonyms of helter-skelter

calculated, calculating, measured

circumspect, foresighted, forethoughtful

drawn-out, extended, long-term, prolonged

faltering, hesitant, hesitating, tentative

dallying, dawdling, laggard, leisurely, poky (or pokey), shilly-shallying, slow
Antonyms of helter-skelter

deliberate, unhurried, unrushed
2 lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
  • papers stacked helter-skelter on her desk
Synonyms of helter-skelter

aimless, arbitrary, catch-as-catch-can, desultory, erratic, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random, scattered, slapdash, stray
Words Related to helter-skelter

accidental, casual, chance, chancy, contingent, fluky (also flukey), fortuitous, inadvertent, incidental, lucky, unconsidered, unintended, unintentional, unplanned, unpremeditated

scattershot, shotgun

irregular, odd, sporadic, spot

directionless, objectless, purposeless

indiscriminate, unsystematic

undirected

disorderly, disorganized

undiscriminating, unselective
Near Antonyms of helter-skelter

established, fixed, regular, set, stable, steady

constant, continuous, even

arranged, managed, orchestrated, ordered, planned

aware, conscious, deliberate, purposeful, thoughtful, willful (or wilful)
Antonyms of helter-skelter

methodical (also methodic), nonrandom, orderly, organized, regular, systematic, systematized

helter-skelter

adverb

Synonyms and Antonyms of helter-skelter

1 in a confused and reckless manner
  • The sheep ran helter-skelter inside their pen when the coyote appeared in their midst.
Synonyms of helter-skelter

amok (or amuck), berserk, berserkly, frantically, frenetically, frenziedly, harum-scarum, hectically, madly, pell-mell, wild, wildly
Words Related to helter-skelter

agitatedly, confusedly, crazily, desperately, feverishly, haywire, skittishly, uncontrollably

heedlessly, hotheadedly, recklessly, wantonly

chaotically, riotously, tumultuously, turbulently

aimlessly, haphazard, haphazardly, hit-or-miss, topsy-turvy
Near Antonyms of helter-skelter

calmly, collectedly, composedly, coolly (also cooly), imperturbably, peacefully, placidly, self-composedly, self-possessedly, serenely, unconcernedly

meekly, mildly, passively, tamely

methodically, orderly, systematically
2 without definite aim, direction, rule, or method
  • goods arranged helter-skelter on the shelves of the variety store
Synonyms of helter-skelter

aimlessly, anyhow, anyway, anywise, desultorily, erratically, haphazard, haphazardly, hit or miss, irregularly, randomly, willy-nilly
Words Related to helter-skelter

arbitrarily, capriciously, carelessly, casually, indiscriminately, informally, offhand, offhandedly, promiscuously, whimsically

accidentally, fortuitously, inadvertently, unconsciously, unintentionally, unwittingly

disconnectedly, disjointedly, fitfully, intermittently, spottily, unpredictably

higgledy-piggledy, topsy-turvy
Phrases Synonymous with helter-skelter

at random
Near Antonyms of helter-skelter

carefully, formally, gingerly, meticulously, orderly, punctiliously

deliberately, intentionally, purposefully, purposely
Antonyms of helter-skelter

methodically, systematically

helter-skelter

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of helter-skelter

a state of noisy, confused activity
  • the helter-skelter of the playground
Synonyms of helter-skelter

ado, ballyhoo, blather, bluster, bobbery, bother, bustle, clatter, commotion, disturbance, foofaraw, fun, furor, furore, fuss, hoopla, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly, hurly-burly, pandemonium, pother, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, squall, stew, stir, storm, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, welter, whirl, williwaw, zoo
Words Related to helter-skelter

cacophony, clamor, din, howl, hue and cry, noise, outcry, racket, roar

disorder, unrest, upheaval

eruption, flare-up, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst

brawl, fracas, fray, hassle, melee (also mêlée), scuffle

dither, fever, fret, lather, tizzy
Near Antonyms of helter-skelter

calm, hush, peace, quiet, quietude, rest, stillness, tranquillity (or tranquility)

order, orderliness

Learn More about helter-skelter

  1. Dictionary: Definition of helter-skelter Spanish Central: Translation of helter-skelter Britannica English: Translation of helter-skelter for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up helter-skelter? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games