as in mess
a state in which everything is out of order
careful planning had eliminated most of the muss that usually accompanies a move to a new house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the wind mussed up my hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muss
Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2023
James, Sami, Jesse, Cassidy, and Karla (all from the super alliance of seven) sat out without much muss or fuss.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Nov. 2022
Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Last Week Tonight has always been more thorough in its account of the week’s major issues than the nightly network shows, though at least Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel all sounded the Klaxon about Donald Trump while their colleague Jimmy Fallon mussed his hair.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muss
Noun
As promised, the restaurant is a no-fuss, no-muss operation.
—Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2023
James, Sami, Jesse, Cassidy, and Karla (all from the super alliance of seven) sat out without much muss or fuss.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Nov. 2022
Verb
Malleable and with a matte finish, when worked through the hair, this white paste keeps flyaways at bay, musses up the ends of short cuts, and sculpts amazing second-day texture.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
Last Week Tonight has always been more thorough in its account of the week’s major issues than the nightly network shows, though at least Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel all sounded the Klaxon about Donald Trump while their colleague Jimmy Fallon mussed his hair.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muss
Noun
-
In a memo released Thursday morning, Levine Cava did not mention the fuel depot mess in announcing the immediate departures of Morales and Webb.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
Platner is navigating this mess with a notably shallow reserve of goodwill, even among his backers on the left.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Closure of the strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea and a critical gateway to the Suez Canal, could significantly disrupt global trade.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
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The British Museum elected to postpone a Jewish Culture Month event that was scheduled to take place last Thursday, May 28th due to concerns that the talk—a lecture on Ancient Israel and Judah—might be disrupted by protests.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, in Sacramento, the Kings are back in basketball hell after tying for the fourth-worst record in the NBA despite having the league’s eighth-highest payroll.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
2 June 2026
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The Avici hell is the lowest and most terrible level of the eight hot hells of Buddhism, where those who’ve committed serious crimes (like parricide) must face constant suffering.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The zoo says that the facility would be about 50 yards from some of its animals and that the noise could disturb its residents, including a leap of leopards that hail originally from Southeast Asia.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
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The lawsuit filed Thursday by Karen Read against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police revealed a long history of disturbing text messages between former police officers Michael Proctor and Sean Goode that allegedly included racial slurs, sexist comments and other offensive material.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
Noun
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The goal of all this havoc is not to destroy democracy, according to Vergara—though that might be a welcome side effect, to some—but to torpedo the rule of law and thereby protect illicit financial gains.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
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Finally, incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc.—
Joanna Ossinger,Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Other major destinations, which have seen their order in the top-six markets by size shuffle rapidly in recent months, painted a mixed picture.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
2 June 2026
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Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
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Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead, the ideologues of Russian imperialism have turned to random musings and belligerent hate speech, which seems intended to confuse rather than convince.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
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Relocating a bird's nest is confusing for the parents, dangerous for the eggs, and, in most cases, against the law.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muss. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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