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
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021
No other muss or complications.
—Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 8 June 2020
Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Pearce, in a magnificent performance, plays him as a kind of citadel—towering yet human-scaled, his immaculate dress and coiffure barely mussed by the occasional burst of temper or spasm of ego.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muss
Noun
No-fuss, no muss.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2021
No other muss or complications.
—Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 8 June 2020
Verb
The bedhead texture and mussed up fringe give the medium length great shape.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 20 Jan. 2025
Pearce, in a magnificent performance, plays him as a kind of citadel—towering yet human-scaled, his immaculate dress and coiffure barely mussed by the occasional burst of temper or spasm of ego.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muss
Noun
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Similarly, homeowners who enjoy entertaining might prioritize a scullery or prep kitchen/pantry to keep the party mess out of view.—
Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
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In the wacky political world of Southeast Los Angeles County — where scandals seem to bloom every year with the regularity of jacarandas — there’s never been a mess as pendejo as the one stirred up this week by Cudahy Vice Mayor Cynthia Gonzalez.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Globally, heatwaves, droughts, and extreme weather are disrupting supply chains, inflating food prices, and undermining financial stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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These attacks don’t just disrupt operations but also expose deeply personal financial information that can fuel identity theft, fraud and long-term reputational damage.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
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There’s more pressing current affairs to attend to right now, and hell, there’s a new Lorde album to bop to.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
-
Season two saw Valerie cast in an HBO project about the sitcom writer who made her life hell in season one, earning widespread acclaim professionally even as her personal life was falling apart.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle teaches us that observation disturbs the observed.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
Hammond, not wanting the dinosaurs disturbed, sends behavioral paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore) to Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs have been living without human interference.—
Will Harris,
EW.com,
27 June 2025
Noun
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The narrow streets bend, wrap back on themselves, and otherwise create directional havoc.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
24 June 2025
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The consent decree clears a major hurdle for the Omnicom-IPG deal, with the companies seeking to merge as artificial intelligence prepares to wreck havoc across the industry.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Nicolo Barella would often drop between Stefan de Vrij and right centre-back Matteo Darmian or pull wide outside of Urawa’s defensive block to kickstart Inter’s possession, meaning the Japanese side were comfortable shuffling from side to side with the game in front of them.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
-
The latest major example of this reliable horror subgenre shuffling (or in this case running) into theaters is 28 Years Later.—
James Grebey,
Time,
20 June 2025
Noun
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In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
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Instead, voters themselves are jumbles of competing and sometimes contradictory interests.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The man is Jack Ryan, not to be confused with the Jack Ryan dreamed up by Tom Clancy.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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And some say they were confused by what their leases said about renters’ insurance, and they were left without coverage.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muss. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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