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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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

But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 June 2026

Definition of fumbled

Verb

Michael seemed to be saying that by admitting her dishonesty, Ethel would have ruined their childhood and poisoned any prospect of a future relationship with her.

— Amy Weiss-Meyer, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Instead of fighting with Whitney, Lindsay has a talk with Yvonne about how Lindsay ruined Yvonne’s wedding by making it all about her.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 July 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

In 2019, a German nurse who murdered 87 patients by deliberately bringing about cardiac arrests was given a life sentence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
People were becoming aware of the tens of millions of victims who had been murdered by communist regimes over the previous decades.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of murdered

Verb

Fines for such infractions in West Newport Beach and the Peninsula — dubbed safety enhancement zones — will be tripled through July 6.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
The celebrations also included a maritime ship show, dubbed Sail4th 250, in the harbor and a flyover by the Blue Angels.

— Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 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 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of mucked up

verb

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