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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tousled
Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
The sparkling animal prints, the tousled blonde waves, the radiant smiles — the duo look more like twins than mother and daughter in this shot from the 2017 premiere of Goldie's film Snatched.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
The star, who was accompanied by a pal, was glowing in a bold red blouse and jeans, completing her look with smoky eyes, tousled tresses and a glossy nude lip.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
And her beauty looks, including perfectly tousled waves, glowy makeup, and a fabulous gold manicure, seamlessly transitioned from outfit to outfit.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 13 Apr. 2026
Our editors have tested tons of tools—alongside expert recommendations—to find the hair wavers that make getting glossy, tousled texture almost too easy.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Kristen Wiig looked effortlessly cool, thanks to Abergel, who tousled her hair using Virtue Labs products.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 16 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
Winn has a lean, tan face and tousled blond hair befitting his California lifestyle.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Feb. 2026
Her hair was bleach blonde, tousled and pulled back for the mirror selfie.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
In that original viral campaign launch video, a bearded Platner, his strawberry blonde hair tousled, introduced Maine voters to the issues central to his platform, namely, broad economic populism, taxing billionaires, and universal healthcare.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Emin’s masterpiece thumbed its nose at a tradition of recumbent feminine flesh on tousled white sheets (think Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Manet’s Olympia, or any number of bosomy Lucian Freud nudes).
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
The sparkling animal prints, the tousled blonde waves, the radiant smiles — the duo look more like twins than mother and daughter in this shot from the 2017 premiere of Goldie's film Snatched.
—Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026
The star, who was accompanied by a pal, was glowing in a bold red blouse and jeans, completing her look with smoky eyes, tousled tresses and a glossy nude lip.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
And her beauty looks, including perfectly tousled waves, glowy makeup, and a fabulous gold manicure, seamlessly transitioned from outfit to outfit.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 13 Apr. 2026
Our editors have tested tons of tools—alongside expert recommendations—to find the hair wavers that make getting glossy, tousled texture almost too easy.
—Lily Wohlner, Allure, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
Kristen Wiig looked effortlessly cool, thanks to Abergel, who tousled her hair using Virtue Labs products.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 16 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
Winn has a lean, tan face and tousled blond hair befitting his California lifestyle.
—Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Feb. 2026
Her hair was bleach blonde, tousled and pulled back for the mirror selfie.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
In that original viral campaign launch video, a bearded Platner, his strawberry blonde hair tousled, introduced Maine voters to the issues central to his platform, namely, broad economic populism, taxing billionaires, and universal healthcare.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousled
Adjective
-
Pfizer outbid Novo Nordisk for Metsera in a messy M&A fight last year that involved dueling lawsuits and anticompetitive claims.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
7 May 2026
-
While mixtures of two or three metals were messy and unstable, the five-metal combination paradoxically self-organized into a single, uniform product, streamlining 31 possible chemical outcomes into a single, precise nanocrystal.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The United Nations Development Programme reports that higher energy prices, disrupted food systems, and economic slowdowns triggered by the war could push up to thirty-two million people globally into poverty.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Disasters threaten treatment The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration works with states to ensure that access to opioid use disorder medication isn't disrupted, Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said.—
Andrew Jones,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The chaotic family life was cited when Cary Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the tourists’ murders; he was found mentally fit to stand trial.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
The start turned chaotic in seconds when Verstappen, who along with Leclerc almost immediately passed Antonelli, proceeded to completely pirouette, recovering but quickly finding himself in ninth.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
But when an audition for the sixth film came through, he was initially confused by the prospect of rejoining a franchise in which his character had already died.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
2 May 2026
-
Not to be confused with German tiny camper van builder Alpincamper, Switzerland's Alpencamper is a small upstart dedicated to bicycle camping trailers.—
C.C. Weiss
May 01,
New Atlas,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
In the past, her songs were so littered with personal details that listening felt voyeuristic.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.—
Scarlett Harris,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But if anyone ever said grey was the new pink, they were seriously disturbed.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
However, the Jackson family would only stay at the Mediterranean-style dwelling for three years before leaving in 1971, as the excessive noise of the band’s rehearsals disturbed the neighbors.—
India Roby,
Architectural Digest,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Marlins were sloppy early, committing two fielding errors (by left fielder Stowers and pitcher Anthony Bender).—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
-
Now, that doesn’t excuse Amad’s extremely sloppy pass, straight to Dominik Szoboszlai, who ran through unchecked to score.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Carlos Mendoza isn’t to blame, nor are this group of players, who are being shuffled around the field like Yahtzee dice.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
While the administration has shuffled funding to pay DHS employees during the shutdown, those funds are expected to dry up in the first week of May if Congress doesn’t act beforehand.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tousled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousled. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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