Synonyms of tousled

tousled 1 of 2

adjective

as in messy

lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness

a tousled pile of yarn and material scraps at the bottom of her craft box

Synonyms & Similar Words

• messy
• chaotic
• littered
• confused
• sloppy
• shaggy
• jumbled
• rumpled
• cluttered
• disheveled
• mussed
• filthy
• unkempt
• tangled
• dirty
• tumbled
• messed
• untidy
• wrinkled
• mussy
• disarranged
• disordered
• disarrayed
• stained
• muddled
• disorderly
• out of joint
• knotted
• at sixes and sevens
• blackened
• uncombed
• smudged
• higgledy-piggledy
• spotted
• nasty
• hugger-mugger
• pell-mell
• topsy-turvy
• upside-down
• bedraggled
• grimy
• draggled
• dingy
• grungy
• soiled
• slovenly
• begrimed
• grubby
• unclean
• frowsy
• squalid
• mucky
• sullied
• contaminated
• slatternly
• uncleanly
• dowdy
• polluted
• foul
• grotty
• snarled
• tainted
• adulterated
• cruddy
• befouled
• besmirched
• shabby
• neglected
• sloven
• defiled
• bemired
• neglectful
• negligent
• sordid
• seedy
• sleazy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• orderly
• trim
• tidy
• neat
• organized
• crisp
• cleaned
• uncluttered
• clean
• well-ordered
• sparkling
• immaculate
• kempt
• spotless
• shipshape
• ordered
• unsullied
• snug
• stainless
• hygienic
• systematic
• cleanly
• antiseptic
• unsoiled
• regular
• spick-and-span
• methodical
• tidied
• careful
• neatened
• systematized
• meticulous
• combed
• manicured
• fussy
• fastidious
• finicky
• bandbox
• groomed
• wholesome
• untainted
• unpolluted
• undefiled
• well-groomed
• taintless

tousled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tousle

as in disrupted

to undo the proper order or arrangement of

his grandfather would always tousle the boy's neatly combed hair

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disrupted
• confused
• disturbed
• shuffled
• mussed
• disheveled
• jumbled
• disarranged
• rumpled
• scrambled
• disorganized
• disordered
• upset
• muddled
• deranged
• dislocated
• mixed (up)
• tumbled
• disjointed
• disarrayed
• tangled
• snarled
• hashed
• discomposed
• messed (up)
• perturbed
• unsettled
• cluttered
• embroiled
• stirred (up)
• entangled
• agitated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• organized
• arranged
• regulated
• ordered
• disposed
• ranged
• straightened (up)
• aligned
• lined
• drew up
• arrayed
• adjusted
• tidied
• classified
• lined up
• marshaled
• fixed
• codified
• systematized
• made up
• queued
• groomed
• methodized
• systemized
• spruced (up)
• unscrambled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tousled

Adjective

The singer and actress, 33, received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while looking like a true rockstar in a grungy gown with tousled hair complemented by sleek and smokey makeup that exclusively used Maybelline New York products. — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026

Some of the trendiest hairstyles—we’re talking tousled pixies, timeless bobs, and modern shags, to name a few—look especially incredible with gray hair. — Marci Robin, Allure, 17 July 2026

To style a shag haircut, use texturizing spray and run your fingers through your hair for a tousled look. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 17 July 2026

Even in detention, Chavez, with a head full of tousled black hair and big brown eyes, had an easy laugh and smile. — Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica, 6 July 2026

In the photo, Hargitay leaned out of a car window, showing off a tousled blunt bob with golden ends, styled in a deep side part. — Meg Walters, InStyle, 5 July 2026

A little more tousled than a traditional pixie cut, the Winona Ryder pixie cut can be adjusted to suit your own personal style. — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 June 2026

Tousled bob Kiera Knightley’s tousled bob is universally flattering on all face shapes. — Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 12 June 2026

Verb

Son’s hair got tousled and nobody wearing black and gold could stop smiling. — Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2026

Like the French bob, the quintessential French pixie involves tousled loose waves and that effortless je-ne-sais-quoi attitude. — Audrey Noble, InStyle, 2 July 2026

Glam elements included Gerber’s hair tousled with a middle part and soft waves. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 8 June 2026

They were also joined in the auditorium by Boris Kudrin, who plays their teenage son Seryozha — at one point Mazurov tousled Kudrin’s hair. — Brent Lang, Variety, 19 May 2026

His hair is frosted at the tips, carefully tousled; his eyes are alert, amused, ever-probing. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2026

Her signature copper red hair, styled by Halley Brisker, was worn softly tousled down her back. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2026

Kardashian, 45, showed off a pair of ice-blue contact lenses and wore her chocolate brown hair tousled across her shoulders. — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026

Whether it was tousled by hand or pulled back in a tortoiseshell headband, Bessette’s length and color followed the same effortless code of her wardrobe, leaving us with enduring hair inspiration even after her untimely passing. — Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2026