MANGLED Synonyms: 102 Similar and Opposite Words

mangled 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of mangled

as in mutilated

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

mangled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of mangle

as in fumbled

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way you've mangled this so badly that we'll have to do it over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 mangled

Adjective

The nose of the aircraft appeared torn off, leaving mangled parts of the front of the plane dangling toward the ground. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026 After midnight, one evening in late January, a doctor ushered a young man with a mangled hand into her car and sped to a private clinic on the outskirts of Tehran. — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2026

Verb

After the game, his face was mangled, with a cut across the bridge of his nose and what looked like a rug burn on his chin. — Arpon Basu, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026 The facade of the locomotive was badly mangled and the truck also severely damaged, according to an Associated Press journalist at the scene. — ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mangled

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mangled

Adjective

According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
But the most difficult parts also offer ways forward — news that arrives via a skull, a mutilated body, evidence of closure in many respects of the word.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of mutilated

Verb

The Giants scored the game’s first run in the top of the third when Mariners center fielder Luke Raley fumbled the ball on Bryce Eldridge’s single with runners on first and second.

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
Basabe, 48, fumbled his way through the trial, often seeming confused about the legal proceedings.

— Aaron Leibowitz, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

Definition of fumbled

Adjective

There were also issues with wastewater disposal, damaged floors, and pots and pans encrusted with food debris and grease deposits.

— Zareen Syed, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
Take the plant from its pot and cut away any dead or damaged roots, then repot the plant in fresh soil.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 July 2026

Definition of damaged

Verb

The night quickly blew open from there, a 10-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies that was uglier than the final score and further sank Sheehan’s season.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 21 July 2026
As the final seconds ticked down on Spain’s 1-0 extra-time win over a valiant Argentina and the referee blew his whistle, one could be forgiven for their mind once again slipping to memories of La Roja’s maiden World Cup victory.

— Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Definition of blew

Adjective

The second flood has left behind more than wrecked homes, reopening trauma wounds for many survivors.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
After losing his job at a tech company, a 33-year-old Tehran resident who also joined the January protests said his main concern was the wrecked economy, where unemployment and prices have surged.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026

Definition of wrecked

Verb

The magazine’s anatomically graphic photos—rats butchered alive, dogs with their faces sliced open, monkeys screaming at the electrodes implanted in their abdomens—seemed like windows into hell.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
That November, working once again with the Humane Society, Anderson rescued three dogs bound for South Korea to be butchered for meat and another that was rescued from Hurricane Ian in Florida.

— Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of butchered

Verb

Their band, dubbed The Reverends, put out its first real record when Dane was 14.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
The attack was planned to take place at the cage-fighting show dubbed UFC Freedom 250, which was held on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

— Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Definition of dubbed

Browse Nearby Words

mangle

mangled

mangles

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mangled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mangled. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of mangled

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on mangled

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

stalwart

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes