as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
the quilt was a higgledy-piggledy patchwork of odd-shaped fabric scraps, each of which held a fond memory for the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in topsy-turvy
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 higgledy-piggledy
Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Elsbeth volunteers to stay at his schmancy, higgledy-piggledy Asian-fusion wellness center to continue the investigation.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
The oft wild, higgledy-piggledy marketing of so many strains, preparations and products has lead to an erosion of meaning for the customer base.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025
Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Go local in Tokyo Courtesy of Trunk Hotels Hidden in the higgledy-piggledy lanes of Tokyo’s Kagurazaka district (also known as ‘Little Kyoto’), Trunk(House) helps its guests experience the city in a way few other hotels can.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Death to Order reads like an anti-thriller—this despite its international ambit and the corpses of prominent statesmen strewn higgledy-piggledy across its pages.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Elsbeth volunteers to stay at his schmancy, higgledy-piggledy Asian-fusion wellness center to continue the investigation.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
The oft wild, higgledy-piggledy marketing of so many strains, preparations and products has lead to an erosion of meaning for the customer base.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025
Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Go local in Tokyo Courtesy of Trunk Hotels Hidden in the higgledy-piggledy lanes of Tokyo’s Kagurazaka district (also known as ‘Little Kyoto’), Trunk(House) helps its guests experience the city in a way few other hotels can.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for higgledy-piggledy
Adjective
-
Notably, over the next three days — through a hot but noisy producer price index reading and a messy University of Michigan consumer-sentiment survey — the benchmark treated Tuesday’s closing level just under 6,450 as a floor, testing it repeatedly and finishing the week right on it.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
16 Aug. 2025
-
The endeavor plays out the way most weddings do, as a messy process with unexpected challenges that test the bounds of teamwork.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The Boston Celtics have certainly had a topsy-turvy offseason, as they have been forced to part ways with numerous key pieces from their 2024 championship team due to financial constraints.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Perhaps West Ham will surprise us all, but after the topsy-turvy nature of the last three seasons, nobody knows what to expect apart from Jarrod Bowen (13 goals and eight assists in the league last season) to be good again.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
These chaotic phases serve a crucial purpose that is easy to miss in the moment.—
Ginni Saraswati,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
-
Witnesses described to the Free Press a chaotic scene inside the store as shoppers scrambled to evade the man.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
With no federal law protecting online information and just a patchwork of state privacy laws, many Americans are confused and concerned about how their online information is used, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
16 Aug. 2025
-
The memo was welcome for taxpayers who were confused about limits resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made another tweak.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The actor has previously been reluctant to be part of the conversation about the scene, which involved his character Timothy Ratliff accidentally exposing himself to his children, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, and Sarah Catherine Hook.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
19 Aug. 2025
-
While there, the two women accidentally lost Bonet’s pet snake Orpheus inside the Eras Tour headliner’s bathroom, resulting in Swift’s house manager having to take apart the musician’s cabinetry in order to get the reptile out.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Higgledy-piggledy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/higgledy-piggledy. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share