as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
the frantic search left the room upside-down
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Recent Examples of upside-down
The twin-tube aluminum frame and the fully adjustable 41-mm upside-down Showa SFF-BP fork are carried over as is, from its predecessor.
—
New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
Even though trusty cast-iron skillets are traditional in Southern cookery and with most upside-down cakes, this recipe turns out better in a cake pan.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
In free fall, the sheet deforms into an upside-down bell when a weight is attached at its center.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The trees across the street, in the park, looked like upside-down trees.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
That is how upside-down things have gotten.
—Billy Ray, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
The teen is accused of using a rope to tie an upside-down folding table to the back of his vehicle and then pulling that table through the parking lot while a male friend, also 17, rode on top of the table.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
What began in curiosity about an upside-down dance may one day lead to cleaner water.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Set melons, winter squash and pumpkins onto a bed of straw or an upside-down yogurt container to keep them off the soil.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2025
Even though trusty cast-iron skillets are traditional in Southern cookery and with most upside-down cakes, this recipe turns out better in a cake pan.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 1 Oct. 2025
In free fall, the sheet deforms into an upside-down bell when a weight is attached at its center.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2025
The trees across the street, in the park, looked like upside-down trees.
—Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
That is how upside-down things have gotten.
—Billy Ray, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
The teen is accused of using a rope to tie an upside-down folding table to the back of his vehicle and then pulling that table through the parking lot while a male friend, also 17, rode on top of the table.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
What began in curiosity about an upside-down dance may one day lead to cleaner water.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Set melons, winter squash and pumpkins onto a bed of straw or an upside-down yogurt container to keep them off the soil.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upside-down
Adjective
-
This subsequently brought her messy blond hair to the forefront, choppy bangs and all.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The writer’s room need not be neat, could in fact be the one space of the house where things are supposed to be messy, to show a mind at work.—
Katie da Cunha Lewin
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg dropped a bombshell on Democrats last week, one lost in the chaotic news cycle following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Surveillance video obtained by Fox News shows the chaotic moments when ICE agents took cover and protected detainees as gunfire rained down on them from outside a Dallas facility Wednesday morning.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Brooke Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Italian journalist Federica Polidoro asked, drawing a range of confused and amused reactions from the three stars.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Sep. 2025
-
In the background of the video, a confused looking Howlett can be seen standing by in an identical long sleeve shirt as the one the actor is wearing.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And the free options just make life harder with jumbled formatting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
-
But a patchwork of injunctions that have yet to reach the justices remain in place, creating a jumbled situation that keeps reductions at specific agencies on ice.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Trying to expose the trafficking, abuse, and the filthy networks that protect the wealthy and powerful puts you in danger.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Unitree claims that the G1 is made to handle difficult, filthy, and repetitive jobs in a variety of settings, including at homes, factories, and hospitals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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An overstuffed tracklist and slightly sloppy sequencing prevent the record from fully realizing its potential, but over the course of an hour-plus, Cardi sufficiently reminds us why the crown was hers to return for in the first place.—
Kyle Denis,
Billboard,
25 Sep. 2025
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Demonstrate the discipline necessary to eliminate sloppy turnovers and other careless plays, like the penalties.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Continuous operation, robust error recovery, and adaptation to cluttered, dynamic human spaces have not been demonstrated publicly.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
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Reduce rodent habitat around your home, workplace, and recreational areas by removing brush, rock piles, junk, cluttered firewood and possible rodent food supplies.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upside-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upside-down. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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