STRAIGHTENING (UP OR OUT) Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

straightening (up or out)

verb

present participle of straighten (up or out)

as in shaping up

to change one's behavior or character for the better I hope that rehab will help her straighten up for good

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in trimming

to make neat a directive for everyone to straighten up their cubicle in preparation for a visit from some corporate VIPs

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for straightening (up or out)

Verb

Roughly 85% of companies in the S&P 500 have reported their results and overall earnings growth for the period is shaping up to be the strongest since 2021.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Dark-brown pants in wide or flared silhouettes are shaping up to be the most popular among fashion pros.

— Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaping up

Verb

Haskell's team is also staying high in quality and coupons, trimming lower-coupon exposures in favor of those that are upward of 5% that the firm thinks are better poised to handle periods of market uncertainty.

— Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026
Cut the fennel bulbs into quarters, trimming just a bit of the core (leave enough to hold the layers together), then slice thin.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of trimming

Verb

Medina Diaz ran on increasing public education funding, strengthening the school system, improving aging infrastructure and raising the state minimum wage to $16.

— Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
The company argues that improving awareness on the airport surface could deliver meaningful safety gains as flight activity continues to increase.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of improving

Verb

Available in lengths from 1 to 10 feet, these make an easy solution for organizing and powering your space.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
However, for birders like Annyta Vizard, who spent years organizing bird walks at White Farm, the property means more than just agriculture.

— Tran Chau, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of organizing

Verb

Now the village is discussing amending the village’s code to insert guidelines on commercial filming/photography.

— Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Supervisors Nate Miley and Haubert said the poll was a good start toward understanding the community’s interest in amending Measure D, but the county needed to build greater consensus before attempting to ease its land-use restrictions.

— Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of amending

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straightening (up)

straightening (up or out)

straighten (out)

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“Straightening (up or out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straightening%20%28up%20or%20out%29. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of straightening (up or out)

verb

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