1
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
a bill that was pushed through committee in a last-minute helter-skelter burst of legislative activity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
papers, books, and unopened mail were stacked helter-skelter on the desk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
the sheep ran helter-skelter inside their pen when the coyote appeared in their midst
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method
goods arranged helter-skelter on the shelves of the variety store
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
in the helter-skelter at the amusement park the child got separated from his parents
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of helter-skelter
The Enquirer, 25 Feb. 2023
After a helter-skelter start, Mr. Vovk and his top managers reorganized.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2023
Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Somehow, with their final timeout unused, the Bears let the game’s final 32 seconds tick away with only one snap being taken — a helter-skelter, audibled deep shot from Williams to Rome Odunze that fell incomplete as time expired.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2024
And how did the home crowd react to their new manager after the often helter-skelter performances of Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp?
—Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 25 Aug. 2024
The top row is fairly straight, just without the unnatural white hue of a modern Marvel star; the bottom row goes helter-skelter.
—Joel Kim Booster, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
Manson’s Granddaughter Gets Her Day in Court Charles Manson died in prison in 2017, but his offspring continue to stir up helter-skelter in California’s courts.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
Sometime late last week, spray-paint-wielding intruders turned the pink walls of this seven-bedroom mansion into a helter-skelter canvas of pop art, obscure quotations and political insinuations — the third hillside home in Los Angeles to be defaced in recent days.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
The helter-skelter Draft Day trades that netted the Warriors Post with the 52nd pick is not yet finalized.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 30 June 2024
With Spectrum Center closed for renovations, the Hornets have been displaced somewhat, making things helter-skelter.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2024
Adjective
The opening quarter-hour produced a fast but helter-skelter showing.
—The Enquirer, 25 Feb. 2023
After a helter-skelter start, Mr. Vovk and his top managers reorganized.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2023
Adverb
With their helter-skelter, pressing style, the Grizzlies are a balanced team.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Somehow, with their final timeout unused, the Bears let the game’s final 32 seconds tick away with only one snap being taken — a helter-skelter, audibled deep shot from Williams to Rome Odunze that fell incomplete as time expired.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 4 Dec. 2024
And how did the home crowd react to their new manager after the often helter-skelter performances of Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp?
—Gregg Evans, The Athletic, 25 Aug. 2024
The top row is fairly straight, just without the unnatural white hue of a modern Marvel star; the bottom row goes helter-skelter.
—Joel Kim Booster, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
Manson’s Granddaughter Gets Her Day in Court Charles Manson died in prison in 2017, but his offspring continue to stir up helter-skelter in California’s courts.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
Sometime late last week, spray-paint-wielding intruders turned the pink walls of this seven-bedroom mansion into a helter-skelter canvas of pop art, obscure quotations and political insinuations — the third hillside home in Los Angeles to be defaced in recent days.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024
The helter-skelter Draft Day trades that netted the Warriors Post with the 52nd pick is not yet finalized.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 30 June 2024
With Spectrum Center closed for renovations, the Hornets have been displaced somewhat, making things helter-skelter.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helter-skelter
Adjective
-
Photography by Christopher Lee Every morning taquerias throughout San Antonio fill with construction workers, nurses in scrubs, college students, and hurried families, all finding salvation in an iconic staple: the breakfast taco.—
Edmund Tijerina,
Bon Appétit,
27 Feb. 2025
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Macron has taken a leading role in Europe's push to keep Trump from cutting a hurried deal to end the Ukraine war that legitimizes Vladimir Putin and rewards the Russian invasion.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA TODAY,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The results derived from a random sampling of 1,004 adults aged 18 and over living in all 50 states, based on phone interviews, with a margin of error plus or minus four percent and with a 95 percent confidence level.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Webroot can securely erase files for you, overwriting them with random data three times, by default.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
7 Mar. 2025
Adverb
-
Especially not when Trump and Elon Musk are working frantically to dismantle the federal government and undermine American democracy.—
Sammy Roth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
-
In another video of the incident, people were also seen frantically rushing away from the violence.—
Bonny Chu,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The commotion prompted House Speaker Mike Johnson to pound his gavel, warn Green to sit down and eventually have the lawmaker removed by the sergeant at arms.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
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The commotion continued for Saldaña, Brody (snagging his second Best Actor win) and Madison, who was met with congratulations at every turn.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
WWD,
3 Mar. 2025
Adverb
-
At the on-site restaurant, Shola (in House No. 2), seasonal ingredients sourced in the hills and valleys around Karuizawa are stitched into wildly creative dishes that combine Japanese and French cooking methods.—
Brandon Presser,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Dara Horn; illustrated by Theo Ellsworth Norton Books for Young Readers; ages 8 and up In this wildly imagined, time-travel graphic novel, a family’s seder drags on for six long months, a plight recalled by the teenage son, the story’s protagonist.—
Penny Schwartz,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Read the full Capricorn Daily Horoscope Aquarius (January 20 - February 18) In a hurry?—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
-
The movie business may be exclusive, biased, and brutal, but this year’s Oscars — which, for once, were not in a hurry and hardly played anyone off — spun out the illusion that everyone could be an insider, all of us in it together, even those of us watching at home.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The nuclear dilemma makes Tehran’s position all the more fraught, by likely forcing it into a headlong confrontation with the Trump White House.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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This headlong, hyper-nuanced account of a teenage girl’s first love fuses the interiority of novels and the sensuous embrace of cinema in ways that other films fumble.—
Nicolas Rapold,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Eversource is asking the court to overturn a 2023 PURA decision that the company claims was based on an arbitrary application of regulatory law and intended to reach a pre-determined decision to slash its rates.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2025
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Many of those firings have prompted lawsuits parallel to Dellinger’s that challenge the legality of Trump bypassing language in statutes, including provisions that protect employees at independent agencies from politicized or arbitrary firings.—
Ashley Oliver,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
6 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to helter-skelter
Cite this Entry
“Helter-skelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helter-skelter. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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