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
View gallery - 13 images This recently completed tiny house turns traditional small living on its head – literally – with an upside-down layout that places a bedroom downstairs and a living area above.
—
New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2025
For the prettiest upside-down cornbread, pack the onion slices into the pan tightly.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 5 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, 7 Oct. 2025
For the prettiest upside-down cornbread, pack the onion slices into the pan tightly.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 5 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
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The film had transformed from the messy, illogical version I’d first seen into a hilarious, shrewd, contemplative work of art.—
Susan Orlean,
New Yorker,
11 Oct. 2025
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Integrating such a messy light source into a silicon photonics chip required careful engineering.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In this chaotic world of busy schedules, stressful current events and personal responsibilities, growing distracted from your internal world is common.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
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Not because it was magicked away by her brain’s chaotic bonds, but because her husband, Charles (Christian Slater), abruptly returned and got the job done.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Tibbetts looked confused by the ejection and didn’t leave the court immediately, appearing to ask another official, Tim Greene, what happened.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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About 20 mins later, our son woke up, confused and looking for his daddy.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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While Texas Tech has emerged as the clear favorite to win the conference (-120 odds on BetMGM), the chasing pack is still a jumbled mess.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
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And the free options just make life harder with jumbled formatting.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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For collaborating with British officers while on parole, he was transferred to solitary confinement in a filthy cell.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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There were a few sloppy passes on zone entries, and one instance where a puck slipped through him at the blueline.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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The sweater’s hip-skimming length and relaxed cut result in a fit that feels effortlessly lived-in (not sloppy), while its wear-with-anything design is easy to style.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Anderson’s chaotic but intensely touching father-daughter saga is set against a cluttered canvas of revolutionaries, cultists and political hustlers.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
9 Oct. 2025
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Small bedrooms require a strategic design plan in order to feel inviting and spacious, rather than cramped and cluttered.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Upside-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upside-down. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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