MUCKED UP Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

mucked up

verb

past tense of muck up

as in fumbled

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way I swear, she mucks up everything she tries

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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 mucked up An exciting World Cup run mucked up by a president for whom muck might as well be a currency. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Even in the harshest descriptions of the violence and almost unbelievably cruel twists of fate that Yarris endured (the DNA testing keeps getting accidentally mucked up), Brody lends him a vital indomitable spark. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026 Toronto is a good defensive team but doesn’t shoot the 3-ball well and has a half-court offense that can get mucked up and relies heavily on midrange jumpers. — James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026 Well, the first and third mucked up their stories with some overly contrived lore about cults and gods, and the fourth was an experiment for the formula that didn’t quite work. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026 Lawmakers need to get back to Washington to end the government shutdown - a shutdown that has mucked up travel plans around the country by contributing to widespread flight delays. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mucked 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

That doesn’t mean the Yankees screwed up in their process by trading for Stanton.

— Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Every time a player screwed up, the coaching staff and his teammates received a text message, calling out both the infraction and the guilty party.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed up

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

However, with that beauty comes the need to clean these tiles properly so that the finish isn’t be ruined.

— Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 5 Sep. 2026
The fight between a small Georgia community and tech giant Meta has escalated this week after four families filed a lawsuit against the company alleging a central Georgia data center project has contaminated their water and ruined their home values.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruined

Verb

But their strategy was fouled up when the car’s occupants switched on the headlights, throwing a glare up the tote road along which the wardens had planned to sprint.

— Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Wild turkeys gobbled up Staten Island straphangers’ time on Monday, after a flock fouled up service on the Staten Island Railway.

— Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 17 Mar. 2026

Definition of fouled up

Verb

Lorca was murdered in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War by followers of Francisco Franco, and his body remains undiscovered to this day.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2026
Ideologies held by Kirk and others like him, Miles said, are the reason Black people have been violently murdered.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of murdered

Verb

Tesla also runs a chartered car service in the San Francisco area dubbed the FSD (Supervised) Rideshare service.

— Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
In addition to modular dorms, there are many large glass buildings in the Dysonplex (as Allure’s former senior writer Brennan Kilbane dubbed it after his own visit six years ago).

— Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of dubbed

Browse Nearby Words

mucked (out)

mucked up

muckety-muck

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“Mucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mucked%20up. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of mucked up

verb

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