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
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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
Essence, 24 Oct. 2025
Her tousled hair and smoky cat eye are callbacks to the divisive cover of her new album, Man’s Best Friend.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 23 Sep. 2025
In his ’70s heyday, few actors possessed Redford’s star wattage, aided considerably by his tousled blond locks, granite jaw and million-dollar smile.
—Steve Chagollan, Variety, 16 Sep. 2025
Emma, meanwhile, pulled her hair back into a low, tousled ponytail.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Go big and bold like Cardi, try a romantic, tousled twist like Martha Stewart, or consider Hailey Bieber's tight, knotted ballerina bun, which the Rhode founder has been wearing on repeat.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 5 Sep. 2025
Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025
Her blonde locks were tousled, parted down the center and gently flowed down her shoulders and back.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 1 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
Since then, she’s been spotted in tousled recession blonde at the 2025 AMAs, a proper banged bob at Cannes, and in one of her latest looks, snake eyes and a superfine pixie cut at the Met Gala.
—Essence, 24 Oct. 2025
Her tousled hair and smoky cat eye are callbacks to the divisive cover of her new album, Man’s Best Friend.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 23 Sep. 2025
In his ’70s heyday, few actors possessed Redford’s star wattage, aided considerably by his tousled blond locks, granite jaw and million-dollar smile.
—Steve Chagollan, Variety, 16 Sep. 2025
Emma, meanwhile, pulled her hair back into a low, tousled ponytail.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Go big and bold like Cardi, try a romantic, tousled twist like Martha Stewart, or consider Hailey Bieber's tight, knotted ballerina bun, which the Rhode founder has been wearing on repeat.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Her blonde locks were tousled, parted down the center and gently flowed down her shoulders and back.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 1 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
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The podcast episode premiered amid Angelia Solomon's ongoing court battle more than a decade after her and Aaron Solomon's bitter and messy divorce in 2013.—
Katie Nixon,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
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Moisten the disposable sheets with water and a gentle cleaning agent like Dawn dish soap, then use the DIY wet wipes to clean countertops or messy faces.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Big Deal Amazon Web Services (AWS) experienced a major outage on October 20 that disrupted the websites of several major businesses, including Snapchat, Hulu, crypto exchange Coinbase, and the online brokerage Robinhood.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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Kathryn Palmer The shutdown unfortunately disrupted my weekend plans to check out the FDR Presidential Library in upstate New York, but the gorgeous fall weather in the area was a welcome consolation.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Add to this Senne Lammens, who has brought calm to a previously chaotic goalkeeping situation, and INEOS’ bold approach to the summer window is starting to pay off.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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New York City officials condemn federal immigration raid A chaotic immigration raid in New York City on Tuesday reflected the US government’s widening deportation campaign, drawing outrage from local officials and residents.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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One of the higher-ups felt my title Stairway to Heaven would be confused with the 1939 movie of the same name.—
Cameron Crowe,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Netflix’s co-CEOs then confused Wall Street by not slamming the door on a possible bid.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The most interesting part about this week two lineup is seeing how the songs shuffled around a bit.—
Katie Atkinson,
Billboard,
21 Oct. 2025
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The doctor grunted, shuffled off.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Her brunette hair was styled with a shaggy aesthetic with fringe to frame her face.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
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But as on Letterboxd, Runquist’s YouTube videos are conversational and shaggy.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Staffieri was appropriately shocked and disturbed by both the antisemitic display and the breach of internal protocol.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tousled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousled. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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