SCREWING UP Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

screwing up

verb

present participle of screw up

as in fumbling

to make a mistake we all screw up from time to time, so don't sweat it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in blowing

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 screwing up Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she's gotten herself into. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026 First of all, don’t hide misdeeds and screwups, which comes naturally by not committing misdeeds and not screwing up. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026 These days, revivals that just manage to come and go without screwing up are seen as, if not a success, than an acceptable effort. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026 Right now, Iranians are blaming, appropriately, the regime for screwing up the country. — CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026 Tim overcame his fear of screwing up again and asked Lucy to move in. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026 After screwing up his job interview, Anders tries to see his sister, who’s been burned by him one too many times and sends her girlfriend to run interference. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for screwing up

Verb

With Yerry De los Santos also fumbling a bunt in the eighth, the Yanks tallied a season-high four errors on the night.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026
My first few hours with the EM11 NL were marked by overshooting links, fumbling through simple selections, and occasionally wondering why anyone would voluntarily use a vertical mouse.

— Sascha Brodsky, PC Magazine, 21 June 2026

Definition of fumbling

Verb

If caught in dense blowing dust, pull off the road, turn off your lights and keep your foot off the brake.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
The youngster then entered the westbound State Route 126 on-ramp before exiting again at Victoria Avenue while allegedly blowing through a stop sign.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of blowing

Verb

Arsenal are firmly in title-chasing mode and goal difference could still prove crucial, despite Manchester City slipping up against Everton on Monday.

— Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 7 May 2026
But knowing Olson’s proclivity for slipping up in hysterical fashion made the match that much more appealing.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 May 2026

Definition of slipping up

Verb

Amid the memory shortage that's mucking up component prices globally, at least Qualcomm has some promising news for folks hoping to pay less for a daily driver.

— Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 7 May 2026
At least not Will Welch, GQ’s longstanding editor-in-chief and global editorial director, who was absolutely zen about the threat of an atmospheric river mucking up the mag’s Men of the Year celebration last night.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025

Definition of mucking up

Verb

Australia’s online platforms are stumbling at the very first step in implementing age checks for users, rendering a world-first teen social media ban ineffective, a study by a team that advised the government’s rollout of the curbs found.

— Reuters, NBC news, 7 July 2026
Which is why Rhaenyra stumbling during her first days on the job really sucks as a Team Black truther.

— The Editors, Vulture, 3 July 2026

Definition of stumbling

Verb

Video of the incident shows Henderson trying to climb back over the advertising barriers, tripping, and landing hard on his wrist.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2026
But the tripping foul was clear on video review, and surprisingly Bruno Guimaraes, not superstar Vinicius Junior, stepped up to take the penalty kick.

— Andy Clayton, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026

Definition of tripping

Browse Nearby Words

screwing around

screwing up

screwlike

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Style

“Screwing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screwing%20up. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of screwing up

verb

Example Sentences

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