1
as in fumbled
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
messed up the drawing and had to start over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
a nap had messed up her hair and she looked a sight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stumbled
to make a mistake
if anyone messes up even once while we're recording, we have to start all over again
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in licked
to strike repeatedly
threatened that he would mess him up if he cheated at the game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for messed (up)
Verb
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But in her concentration, Porsha fumbled her words, which made the Faithfuls, who were desperate for a crumb of evidence so early in the game, suspicious of her sincerity.
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Before that, Tampa Bay fumbled scoring opportunities in five of the first seven innings and stranded five overall.
Verb
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The dangerous temperatures have already disrupted several events scheduled for Friday.
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The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.
Verb
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The day after the earthquakes, some volunteers stumbled upon a 7-year-old boy named Mateo, shirtless and covered in debris, sitting by himself on a sidewalk in La Guaira.
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Scientists have stumbled on a rare dinosaur fossil from Antarctica, tucked away for decades in a drawer.
Verb
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In Huntington Beach and San Clemente, the messy, wild waves licked the bottom of the pier structures.
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When the tiffin is returned licked clean, Ila sends another meal but with a note, leading to a rich correspondence between the two.
Verb
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One interception attempt resulted in a large explosion that spectacularly blew the roof off a fuel tank.
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After the final whistle blew and this Norway team had made history, Haaland took a moment and looked into the Norwegian cheering section, trying to process what had just happened.
Verb
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Narcissism should never be confused with the healthy form of philautia, a unique Greek philosophy of self-love.
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One workshop is a Mindful Archery class, not to be confused with her other course Meditative Archery, which involves Jungian journaling; and there’s a one-on-one archery session with spiritual guidance.
Verb
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Mysterio tripped Page onto the second rope, but Page cut off Rey Mysterio with a big boot as Rey attempted a 619.
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The Kospi, half the value of which is made up of just two tech behemoths (SK Hynix and Samsung), tripped another circuit breaker Friday, leading to a 20-minute trading break.
Verb
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Dansby Swanson hit three home runs, including a grand slam, Michael Conforto homered twice and the Chicago Cubs pounded the San Diego Padres 23-3 on Wednesday.
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Over a period of more than an hour, according to police reports and Sebold’s memoir, the assailant bludgeoned Sebold with his fists, pounded her skull into the brick and choked her.
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Cite this Entry
“Messed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/messed%20%28up%29. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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