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

On the fifth, Malik Washington fumbled after a 30-yard catch and run.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
For all of the anticipation of an explosive new offensive attack sparked by the arrival of new coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Chargers stumbled and fumbled their way through their season debut.

— Doug Haller, New York Times, 13 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

From our first conversations, Jon blew us away with his intelligence and deep creative insights about how to craft great stories.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
The new Manchester City manager had already danced down the touchline to celebrate in front of the joyous away fans as soon as referee Michael Oliver blew the final whistle on a game that City had no right to win.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 14 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

When Thorwald’s wife is nowhere to be seen the next day, Jeff is convinced that Thorwald murdered and dismembered her.

— David Faris, TheWeek, 14 Sep. 2026
And though the plot of Kidman’s abusive boyfriend Jimmy Angelov (played by Goran Visnjic) felt jarring to some, Dunne personally related, as his sister, actress Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her ex in 1982.

— Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 13 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 16 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of mucked up

verb

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