tousled 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of touslednext
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness a tousled pile of yarn and material scraps at the bottom of her craft box

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

tousled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of tousle
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of his grandfather would always tousle the boy's neatly combed hair

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousled
  1. messy
  2. disrupted
  3. chaotic
  4. confused
  5. shuffled
  6. shaggy
  7. disturbed
  8. sloppy
Adjective
  • Their divorce has been messy, with both exes calling each other out via Instagram.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The decision worked smoothly for the AAC in Year 1 of this new setup, but the potential for a messy schedule remains in the future.
    Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of messy
Verb
  • The war in Ukraine has disrupted the flow of grain to Africa, and Houthi attacks on commercial shipping are causing supply chain problems in Europe and across Asia and the Americas.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
  • But 2023 disrupted this pattern.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of disrupted
Adjective
  • Launching Tuesday, the special was filmed in the slightly less chaotic locale of Hawaii, one of Chieng’s favorite places to work and vacation.
    Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
  • More recently, at a time that feels similarly tumultuous and chaotic, Colonial Williamsburg and the Jane Austen House Museum have drawn a new wave of interest by teaming up with esteemed design brands to bring archival textiles, wallpapers, and paint colors to new life.
    Cornelia Powers, Vogue, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of chaotic
Verb
  • However, the Madea star said his science teacher then asked him about dissecting the animal, which confused a young Perry.
    Nicholas Rice, People.com, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Meanwhile, the state’s agriculture department, which had been routinely testing Raw Farm milk products kept getting negative results — leaving infectious disease experts confused.
    Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of confused
Verb
  • John then shuffled through the expansion era and modern baseball ballots twice apiece, getting spurned by the voting committees.
    Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
  • Forensic accountants testified that Marilyn was the one who gave Nick the money, who then shuffled it around to various bank accounts, before wiring it back to Marilyn.
    Mikenzie Frost, Baltimore Sun, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of shuffled
Adjective
  • The 28-year-old actor appeared on the Dec. 12 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with his latest look, a thin mustache and his normally long curly hair trimmed in a shorter, shaggy crop.
    Hedy Phillips, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Take a cue from the Olsen handbook and look for shaggy details, longline shapes, and reversible designs.
    Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of shaggy
Verb
  • While many said they were disturbed by the brutal shooting, others reacted with indifference, or in some cases schadenfreude.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The publication disturbed some Jewish students, according to the Post.
    Pilar Arias, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024
Definition of disturbed
Adjective
  • Their puck play was sloppy, their penalty kill was awful and they got consistently outworked by the Canadiens.
    Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Another failed sloppy takedown briefly put Covington on the ground.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Definition of sloppy
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near tousled

tousle

tousled

tousles

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Tousled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousled. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on tousled

Nglish: Translation of tousled for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...