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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in topsy-turvy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of higgledy-piggledy
Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 9 Feb. 2026
The grid breaks down in Lower Manhattan and the streets begin to look higgledy-piggledy and more challenging to navigate.
—Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025
Renovating and expanding the higgledy-piggledy building—a monumental project that finally will welcome guests in February—will usher in the next chapter in the château’s story.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2025
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
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
Adverb
Then load them higgledy-piggledy on their sides into the tube of a food processer fitted with the slicing blade.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 9 Feb. 2026
The grid breaks down in Lower Manhattan and the streets begin to look higgledy-piggledy and more challenging to navigate.
—Literary Hub, 14 Nov. 2025
Renovating and expanding the higgledy-piggledy building—a monumental project that finally will welcome guests in February—will usher in the next chapter in the château’s story.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for higgledy-piggledy
Adjective
-
The people in it are depicted as messy, earnest, and trying their best.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
-
And finally, take really messy or stinky items straight to the outdoor trash can.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
12 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Its messiness is also in step with 2020s hyperpop—scruffy, topsy-turvy electronic music that seeks to harness, not counteract, modern overstimulation.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Trump and the Federal Communication Commission’s role in the future of WBD has been a constant talking point throughout these past months and POTUS of course has something of a topsy-turvy relationship with the EU.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The attack unfolded in a chaotic scene Lang’s sparsely attended protest Saturday drew a far larger group of counterdemonstrators.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The scene had grown chaotic even before the devices were thrown.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Vancouver remains intent on concluding some additional business before the deadline passes, although this market has been late developing and has evolved unpredictably.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
When confronted with construction zones, school buses, power outages, or misbehaving pedestrians, these vehicles often behave unpredictably, leading to crashes or freezing events, causing significant disruption to local traffic and possibly blocking first responders from doing their jobs.—
Missy Cummings,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The words sound like magnetic fridge poetry—jumbled and foreign in her mouth.—
Olivia Horn,
Pitchfork,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Yet all this beauty ultimately does not save a jumbled narrative.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
-
While many talk shows began as fitfully amusing discussions around relevant issues, some soon devolved into sordid and exploitative freak shows that encouraged verbal and physical altercations.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.—
Scarlett Harris,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The union staff organized last spring and have been negotiating their first contract with management intermittently since September.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2026
-
He’s developed in that time into a key leader in the locker room and has served intermittently as a team captain.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Higgledy-piggledy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/higgledy-piggledy. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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