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
Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Holmes' hair — which also seems to have some new honey blonde highlights — was in an effortless, tousled style.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 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
Unlike a blunt bob which favors sharp lines, the softer pageboy bob invites tousled texture.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2026
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
Look at Jimmy Fallon, who steered clear of the wrong jokes and tousled the right hair, and is still catching all-caps strays on Truth Social.
—James Folta
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
Holmes' hair — which also seems to have some new honey blonde highlights — was in an effortless, tousled style.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 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
Unlike a blunt bob which favors sharp lines, the softer pageboy bob invites tousled texture.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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
Look at Jimmy Fallon, who steered clear of the wrong jokes and tousled the right hair, and is still catching all-caps strays on Truth Social.
—James Folta
september 19, Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousled
Adjective
-
Wheatley isn’t a sudden-twitch mover and the tackling can get messy, but the size, awareness and ability to play deep, in the slot or around the box should keep him in the Day 2 conversation.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
A lot of the case seemed to come down to disorganization and messy paperwork.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His arrival disrupted Diawara’s rhythm but gave Brown a gritty, experienced defender for small-ball combinations.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
An uneven jobs landscape and disrupted energy markets due to the war in the Middle East has made the Federal Reserve more sensitive to inflation in recent months, resulting in a pause on rate cuts.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Set in 1953 after the titular dictator’s passing, the film revels in the chaotic, messy, bumbling power struggle that ensues among figures like Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi) and Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor).—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The venue was the sprawling Serena Hotel, an oasis within what is already a bubble provided by Islamabad, a leafy city of broad boulevards that feels detached from the rest of Pakistan, an often chaotic country of 240 million people.—
Saeed Shah,
Time,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The south London BBQers were confused.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Microphones are a tool for speaking out loud, or singing, before a crowd, and Lee uses the object as a symbol of her own desire to speak and be understood, even when she is confused by competing cultures and unsure of her own voice.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
13 Apr. 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
-
Courts also accord high deference to arbitration decisions and require extraordinary findings to vacate an arbitration award, meaning arbitration decisions are normally not disturbed or challenged.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Peale was especially disturbed by Kennedy’s prospects.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ludvig Aberg swapped out some sloppy mistakes at the Masters with pure iron play at Harbour Town in warm, swirling wind that produced an 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead Thursday in the RBC Heritage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Needing a win to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2018, the Ducks lost a sloppy 4-3 overtime decision to the Vancouver Canucks, the NHL’s worst team, leaving them a point shy of the playoffs with two games to play.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For weeks, Isaiah Mosley shuffled into the morning chaos of the Miami criminal courthouse.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Born from the embers of the eighties band Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, led by the singer and guitarist Amelia Fletcher, shuffled forward with her riffy, effervescent playing style, gradually growing more sophisticated across four LPs and an EP, without any loss of buoyancy.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tousled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousled. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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