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Synonyms

messed up

American  

adjective

Slang.

  1. beaten up; looking disarrayed.

  2. confused and unhappy.

  3. intoxicated with alcohol or narcotics.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But last year during her annual benefits renewal, one of her employers messed up a number on the required paperwork.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

“Kaley came from a messed up home life,” Lanier said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

"I have lost all motivation for anything," she says, "besides trying to raise a decent human being in this messed up world."

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

"We've messed up on a grand scale and now the onus is on this group of guys to turn it around and put in two solid performances."

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

“I messed up, Rondo. Let somebody take it.”

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.