as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
the quilt was a higgledy-piggledy patchwork of odd-shaped fabric scraps, each of which held a fond memory for the family
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in topsy-turvy
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of higgledy-piggledy
Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Elsbeth volunteers to stay at his schmancy, higgledy-piggledy Asian-fusion wellness center to continue the investigation.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
The oft wild, higgledy-piggledy marketing of so many strains, preparations and products has lead to an erosion of meaning for the customer base.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025
Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Go local in Tokyo Courtesy of Trunk Hotels Hidden in the higgledy-piggledy lanes of Tokyo’s Kagurazaka district (also known as ‘Little Kyoto’), Trunk(House) helps its guests experience the city in a way few other hotels can.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Death to Order reads like an anti-thriller—this despite its international ambit and the corpses of prominent statesmen strewn higgledy-piggledy across its pages.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
Elsbeth volunteers to stay at his schmancy, higgledy-piggledy Asian-fusion wellness center to continue the investigation.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
The oft wild, higgledy-piggledy marketing of so many strains, preparations and products has lead to an erosion of meaning for the customer base.
—Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025
Instead of obsessing over the latest higgledy-piggledy, do something useful.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
Go local in Tokyo Courtesy of Trunk Hotels Hidden in the higgledy-piggledy lanes of Tokyo’s Kagurazaka district (also known as ‘Little Kyoto’), Trunk(House) helps its guests experience the city in a way few other hotels can.
—Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for higgledy-piggledy
Adjective
-
Now that the series is streaming on Netflix, fans old and new are curious to see what the cast of Nashville has been up to since that messy series finale.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Sep. 2025
-
This song encourages them to get messy, play, and have fun with this staple activity of the Halloween season.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
19 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
This map would turn topsy-turvy if MLB chose Austin or Mexico City as expansion cities — or chose no expansion cities out west, and two in the east.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
19 Aug. 2025
-
The Boston Celtics have certainly had a topsy-turvy offseason, as they have been forced to part ways with numerous key pieces from their 2024 championship team due to financial constraints.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Creative Arts Emmys, held on September 6 and 7, had already handed out several exciting awards, including for Bryan Cranston’s guest turn on The Studio and Julianne Nicholson’s chaotic arc on Hacks.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
15 Sep. 2025
-
After several chaotic minutes with no cell phone service, mother and daughter finally reunited next to the plaza.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Or behaving unpredictably and expecting acceptance.—
Lauren Rothery,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The mobiles are Rower’s untamable creatures, swinging close to heads, shaking and shimmering unpredictably.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 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
Adverb
-
Shamet was fitfully productive when played in meaningful spot minutes during the postseason for New York last year.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Sep. 2025
-
This book is a stylish pastiche, as an unnamed woman fitfully reconstructs herself under the thumb of a strange man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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In it, the scientists postulated an increased risk of death in people who fasted intermittently.—
Frederik Jötten,
Scientific American,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Mating season is February to April, and females will lay one or two eggs per day intermittently during that period.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Higgledy-piggledy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/higgledy-piggledy. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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