MESSED (UP) Synonyms: 244 Similar and Opposite Words

messed (up)

verb

past tense of mess (up)

as in fumbled

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way messed up the drawing and had to start over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disrupted

to undo the proper order or arrangement of a nap had messed up her hair and she looked a sight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stumbled

to make a mistake if anyone messes up even once while we're recording, we have to start all over again

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in licked

to strike repeatedly threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed (up)

Verb

After Jordan fumbled away a screen pass, Maiava later found Mosley for that 68-yard score.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Balogun didn’t hurt his stock or his public image by walking away from Everton, a club that fumbled its way through another transfer window.

— Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

China's ban on engineers and equipment last year had disrupted iPhone production, according to several media outlets.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
Advertisement The Houthis previously disrupted shipping in 2024, in response to Israel’s occupation and bombardment of Gaza, and made a global impact.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of disrupted

Verb

While Mayfield is 3-0 in Week 1 since coming to Tampa Bay in 2023, Burrow and the Bengals have often stumbled out of the gate.

— Joe Reedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
On this day in 1940, four teenage boys stumbled upon one of the world’s most significant archaeological finds—through a fox’s den, 50 feet down to an underground passageway, and into a network of caves.

— Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 10, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of stumbled

Verb

Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.

— Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.

— Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of licked

Verb

But then on Sunday, McFarlane blew a save by serving up a three-run blast to Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
On third down, the offensive line blew open a big hole and running back Kameron Lee found it, popping out with a 13-yard run to get the Tigers out of trouble as the third quarter ended.

— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of blew

Verb

Not to be confused with inverted full backs, an inverted winger is a wide player who is used on the opposite side of the pitch to their strong foot — so a left-footer on the right or a right-footer on the left.

— Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
William does not want the public confused about who officially represents the King.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of confused

Verb

An older man to my right tripped and took a face-first dive across the pavement, glasses flying off his face.

— Timothy Townsend, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Mizzou tripped Kansas 42-31 last season in Columbia, went 4-1 against the Jayhawks uninterrupted from 2007-11 at Arrowhead Stadium and also conquered KU 42-17 in 2006 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of tripped

Verb

Russia pounded Kyiv for more than 12 hours in a sixth straight night of attacks, killing at least 12 people including six railway workers and an Indian citizen, and devastating civilian districts.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Floods of ‘destructive force’ blast through the canyon As the rain pounded the canyon Saturday, park officials received an alert from the National Weather Service warning of flash flooding in the area.

— Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of pounded

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.

Browse Nearby Words

messed over

messed (up)

messed (with)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Messed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20%28up%29. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of messed (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quorum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes