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
  • But for some reason the powers that be have decreed artificial intelligence a civilizational imperative, requiring the hurried construction of swarms of data centers, on Earth and in space.
    — Mark Gongloff, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
  • Right now, decisions are being made in a hurried, contradictory fashion.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026
Definition of hurried
Adjective
  • That production cap isn't random – Ferrari carefully chose it to honor the 1,499cc displacement of the company's very first V12 engine introduced in 1947.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 July 2026
  • This equipment can also drift from its initial settings due to random factors, such as the hardware heating up as it’s used.
    — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026
Definition of random
Adverb
  • Once that became clear, Cashman pivoted to Stanton — hard and fast and perhaps even frantically — and made the big splash for the big man two weeks or so before Christmas.
    — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
  • In a darkly comedic twist, Beadie changes her mind after swallowing a lethal dose, and Jessa frantically calls the paramedics to save her life.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of frantically
Adverb
  • These options let the computer randomly generate numbers for you.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • Ethel and Julius hadn’t been targeted randomly, or simply for having been Jewish Communists during the McCarthy era.
    — Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Definition of randomly
Noun
  • Another trip to Uptown on May 20-21, 1977, causing police to shut Lawrence Avenue down in both directions due to such commotion outside the Aragon Ballroom entrance.
    — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Hassan was livid on the touchline and was seen making a cross gesture with his arms during all the commotion, a symbol introduced by FIFA for managers to alert the referees of a racist incident.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Definition of commotion
Adjective
  • Instead, Mahan and his wealthy Silicon Valley backers talked themselves into a rushed and premature campaign that was never remotely competitive.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • As immigration officers arrested her six weeks ago, through tears and a rushed goodbye, Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez had a request for her daughter.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of rushed
Adjective
  • The right conversation could turn scattered effort into a working plan.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026
  • If your data is messy, scattered or stale, the AI output fails.
    — Sagi Eliyahu, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of scattered
Adverb
  • As Egypt celebrated wildly, referee François Letexier went to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) screen to look at a foul that may have occurred in the buildup.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 7 July 2026
  • Marfan syndrome is particularly mysterious because members of a family who carry the same exact mutation can have wildly different health trajectories, Catherine Boileau, a geneticist at the French health research institution INSERM, told me.
    — Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of wildly

Browse Nearby Words

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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 13 Jul. 2026.

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