Synonyms of screwing up

screwing up

verb

present participle of screw up

1

as in fumbling

to make a mistake

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumbling
• slipping up
• stumbling
• tripping
• dropping the ball
• fouling up
• goofing (up)
• lousing up
• laying an egg
• messing (up)
• blundering
• nodding
• erring
• fluffing
• flubbing
• boobing
• mistaking
• misunderstanding
• murdering
• bungling
• mangling
• botching
• misjudging
• muffing
• butchering
• misconceiving
• foozling
• mishandling
• miscalculating
• misdeeming
• bobbling
• misconstruing
• misgauging
• miscounting
• misinterpreting
• miscuing

2

as in blowing

to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way

you've totally screwed up the spreadsheet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fumbling
• blowing
• mucking up
• fouling up
• goofing (up)
• messing (up)
• buggering (up)
• lousing up
• ruining
• murdering
• dubbing
• bollixing (up)
• booting
• destroying
• spoiling
• gumming (up)
• bungling
• boggling
• mangling
• botching
• butchering
• fluffing
• foozling
• bumbling
• bobbling
• damaging
• muffing
• marring
• injuring
• flubbing
• wrecking
• impairing
• hurting
• blundering
• muddling
• mutilating
• harming
• flawing
• blighting
• vitiating
• piffling
• mismanaging
• mishandling
• blemishing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• helping
• enhancing
• reforming
• refining
• remedying
• bettering
• ameliorating
• rectifying
• meliorating
• repairing
• fixing
• renovating
• patching
• reconditioning
• revamping
• doctoring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of screwing up

So not screwing up Spider-Man is about putting a beating heart at the center rather than a bunch of spectacle. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

The fear of failure can do as much harm as actually screwing up. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

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