as in overwhelmed
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in lurched
to move forward while swaying from side to side
I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in hesitated
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of staggered
Pete Hammond, Deadline, 15 June 2026
The Brooklyn Academy of Music had a 16-foot screen positioned in front of steps that did, in fact, create a staggered seating area.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Fights are then slotted roughly every 20 to 30 minutes, the same staggered build these DAZN boxing cards tend to follow, so the headliners are still hours away when the broadcast opens.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
The museum intends to carry out the furloughs in staggered phases between July 1 and December 31.
—News Desk, Artforum, 12 June 2026
Of course, investors won’t see tangible returns from the offering until the staggered lockup period begins weeks after the IPO, starting with its second-quarter earnings.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
The 20-day furlough program will begin July 1 and run into December in staggered phases.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 11 June 2026
Split Squat The split squat’s staggered stance introduces a balance challenge while forcing you to work one side of your body at a time.
—Jenessa Connor, Health, 10 June 2026
Freeman envisioned the steep bluff as a natural amphitheater and arranged the villas on staggered terraces that hug the headland to ensure unobstructed ocean views over the roofs below.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Springfield staggered out of session this week with a $56 billion budget, no Bears deal and plenty of unfinished business.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
Major events such as Hamilton and an Issa Rae show were swiftly canceled, staff departures staggered departments and drained the organization of expertise, and ticket sales drastically declined.
—Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
The lone survivor of the half-hour killing spree, critically injured 49-year-old David Hernandez, staggered to a nearby street where police officers were trying to revive another Santos victim.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2026
Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Rhodes staggered and Zayn bounced off the rope and pushed Rhodes onto the announce table.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Highlighting the warmth of the hue is the Sport Design package, which adds gloss black accents and staggered two-tone Sport Classic wheels (20 inches in the front, 21 inches in the back).
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 May 2026
Adjective
To establish staggered terms, governors in these three branches were elected to one-, two- or three-year terms this year.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 15 June 2026
The Brooklyn Academy of Music had a 16-foot screen positioned in front of steps that did, in fact, create a staggered seating area.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Fights are then slotted roughly every 20 to 30 minutes, the same staggered build these DAZN boxing cards tend to follow, so the headliners are still hours away when the broadcast opens.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
The museum intends to carry out the furloughs in staggered phases between July 1 and December 31.
—News Desk, Artforum, 12 June 2026
Of course, investors won’t see tangible returns from the offering until the staggered lockup period begins weeks after the IPO, starting with its second-quarter earnings.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
The 20-day furlough program will begin July 1 and run into December in staggered phases.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 11 June 2026
Split Squat The split squat’s staggered stance introduces a balance challenge while forcing you to work one side of your body at a time.
—Jenessa Connor, Health, 10 June 2026
Freeman envisioned the steep bluff as a natural amphitheater and arranged the villas on staggered terraces that hug the headland to ensure unobstructed ocean views over the roofs below.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
Verb
In exchange for taking these steps, Iran would receive financial relief staggered over time and sequenced to correspond with compliance.
—Sarah Lynch Baldwin, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Springfield staggered out of session this week with a $56 billion budget, no Bears deal and plenty of unfinished business.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2026
Major events such as Hamilton and an Issa Rae show were swiftly canceled, staff departures staggered departments and drained the organization of expertise, and ticket sales drastically declined.
—Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
The lone survivor of the half-hour killing spree, critically injured 49-year-old David Hernandez, staggered to a nearby street where police officers were trying to revive another Santos victim.
—ABC News, 28 May 2026
Three commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2026
Commissioners serve staggered six-year terms.
—Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026
Rhodes staggered and Zayn bounced off the rope and pushed Rhodes onto the announce table.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 May 2026
Highlighting the warmth of the hue is the Sport Design package, which adds gloss black accents and staggered two-tone Sport Classic wheels (20 inches in the front, 21 inches in the back).
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staggered
Adjective
-
No instrument was overwhelmed or overshadowed by another, which is rare among headphones and headsets.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
14 June 2026
-
This marks, at least, the third time that a YouTube video featuring a monumental victory by Uso was overwhelmed with dislikes.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
As the opening ceremony began with a flurry of speeches, the bus carrying Team Zambia lurched to a stop by the side of the road in southern Zimbabwe, 200 miles away.—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
-
In a December 2024 crash, a bus lurched onto a sidewalk outside Curley K-8 School in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.—
Willoughby Mariano,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Instead, both hesitated, their feet tangled and a charging Healy banged in the loose ball.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
12 June 2026
-
His mother, Rochelle Hinkle, hesitated at the idea of sending her 15-year-old son three hours away to live with a host family, during COVID, no less, but eventually warmed up to the idea.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
At the risk of sounding less like a columnist and more like a bewildered bystander … what the heck happened?—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
Urged by a call from Hugo to destroy her phone and flee Kansas City fast, before WARDEX can get to her, Margaret also hits the road, accompanied initially by a bewildered Jackson.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
In the years that followed, American landscape painting was shuffled off to storage to make room for modernism, and paintings like Church’s, with their glassy finishes and profuse detail, came to seem the embodiment of fuddy-duddy.—
Susan Tallman,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2026
-
The singer-songwriter shuffled songs on her phone, not having any idea what might pop up.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Had the 747 project faltered, Boeing would likely have gone down with it.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, projects faltered, properties fell into foreclosure, and vulnerable tenants faced displacement and eviction.—
Michele Steeb,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
The stadium, packed to the brim with more than 82,000 fans, reverberated with stunned murmurs as Morocco’s Ismael Saibari snuck behind a distracted Brazil defense and chipped home a beautiful goal over goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s head to open the scoring in the 22nd minute.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2026
-
The Paraguay players looked stunned.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
McQuillan, a Wake Forest recruit, went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run Saturday night as Mount Carmel rolled to an 11-2 victory over Naperville Central in the Class 4A third-place game at Slammers Stadium in Joliet.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
The extended schedule allowed the composer ample time to compose, so the score developed as the months rolled on.—
Jon Burlingame,
Variety,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staggered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staggered. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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