as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
the frantic search left the room upside-down
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of upside-down
The chart doesn’t look like a hump anymore, but more like an upside-down check mark, peaking on the left side and going down and to the right.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2025
The logo is a trio of upside-down piano pedals (a wink to not taking things too seriously), and the brim’s five stitched lines nod to a musical staff.
—Gabby Shacknai, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Drain or turn unused boats or canoes upside-down to prevent water from gathering inside.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 29 Aug. 2025
The freighter, however, is resting upside-down, about 190 feet underwater.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2025
In terms of features and specs, there's an upside-down fork and a rear monoshock that sit on a cast aluminum, single-sided swingarm.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
The upside-down cake is a bit of a Southern specialty.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2025
In February, demonstrators hung an upside-down American flag from the same cliff face to protest staffing cuts.
—Jesus Mesa
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Rototill to a depth of 2 inches, then use your garden rake turned upside-down to smooth the grade to drain away from your home.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Aug. 2025
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2025
The logo is a trio of upside-down piano pedals (a wink to not taking things too seriously), and the brim’s five stitched lines nod to a musical staff.
—Gabby Shacknai, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Drain or turn unused boats or canoes upside-down to prevent water from gathering inside.
—John Tufts, IndyStar, 29 Aug. 2025
The freighter, however, is resting upside-down, about 190 feet underwater.
—Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2025
In terms of features and specs, there's an upside-down fork and a rear monoshock that sit on a cast aluminum, single-sided swingarm.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
The upside-down cake is a bit of a Southern specialty.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 20 Aug. 2025
In February, demonstrators hung an upside-down American flag from the same cliff face to protest staffing cuts.
—Jesus Mesa
gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Rototill to a depth of 2 inches, then use your garden rake turned upside-down to smooth the grade to drain away from your home.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upside-down
Adjective
-
Depending on how things shake out in court, representation could get messy for west Charlotte’s City Council District 3.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And that the wig was messy, but cute.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a young and talented group with tremendous upside under a defensive coordinator who thrives off chaotic defensive lines.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
But everything about this first half offensively — save for one TD pass to Sutton — has felt unorganized and ineffective and chaotic.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
While his wife and daughter build a new life in Vienna, Roman stays behind — confused, restless and convinced that things will get better.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
With nearby MPs training their guns on her, Ziva laid down her weapon and sprawled across the blacktop, looking up at a confused Tali.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Away from a filthy Superdome and Convention Center where they had been holed up for days.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Alexander pulled out a baby-blue melodica to lay down a filthy ska rhythm for his band.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
According to Amazon reviews, the material is soft with just the right amount of stretch, while the fit is roomy without looking sloppy.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In that high‑tempo, but sloppy matchup, the Wildcats fell 46‑24, with Mari Adams, a top running back, contributing heavily on the ground and showing flashes of explosive play.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Through a succession of job changes, a don’t-open-the-mail approach to bill paying, abrupt moves to and from a string of increasingly cluttered abodes, Uhle recounts with humor and remarkable detail the unstable circumstances of her youth.—
Kristen Kidd,
Denver Post,
30 Aug. 2025
-
In May 2012, the site was cluttered with tractors and rusting farm equipment.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upside-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upside-down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share