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
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2
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
papers, books, and unopened mail were stacked helter-skelter on the desk
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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
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2
as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method
goods arranged helter-skelter on the shelves of the variety store
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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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Examples 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
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
The Generals fed off each other with the helter-skelter defense.
—Craig J. Clary, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 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
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
The Generals fed off each other with the helter-skelter defense.
—Craig J. Clary, Baltimore Sun, 1 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for helter-skelter
Adjective
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Related Articles Overall, though, sneakers are much better suited for hurried commuters and those in a time crunch to get their holiday shopping done.Alex Badia, WWD, 18 Dec. 2024
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Shoppers should also be aware of tactics retailers use to pressure them into making hurried purchases.Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Tenants at the time included consulting and law firms, financial advisory and investment firms, as well as the usual mélange of random, oddball businesses.Kim Velsey, Curbed, 19 Dec. 2024
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For example, sides can be worn out using the Side Distortion tool which creates random holes in the body with Erosion or partially dim text using Blur distortion.Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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Thankfully, after a weekend spent frantically scrubbing her skin, Ryan did manage to remove most of the paint.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
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Bald and tired, Harley studied frantically from his hospital bed, clinging to schoolwork as a handhold on life.Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For all the commotion around Arsenal’s set-plays, it’s been forgotten that Everton are actually pretty good at them too.Oli Gamp, The Athletic, 14 Dec. 2024
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Trading Range for the 10-Year Treasury Yield For all the recent commotion, the 10-year Treasury yield bounces between 3.3% and 5%, with an even narrower 3.6% to 4.7% range recently.Brett Owens, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Adverb
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On how much power the HHS secretary wields [The job] can be wildly powerful and unpowerful at the same time.Dan Gorenstein, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
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Tierra Whack – World Wide Whack Tierra Whack’s wildly original 2018 mixtape Whack World was a brief but memorable debut, speeding through 15 songs in 15 minutes.Al Shipley, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
Noun
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On a recent night, the Syrian American activist is in a hurry to get on the road.Claire Harbage, NPR, 17 Dec. 2024
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That salary could triple in a hurry once the pitcher becomes eligible for arbitration.Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Sadly, New York Magazine displayed no such judgment in its reckless headlong pursuit of publishing a salacious, attention-grabbing article, no matter the truth.Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024
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The show’s vibrant aesthetic and period pop score, meanwhile, provide a nostalgia trip to the early 2000s — while not shying away from what the era’s headlong embrace of social media did to our grasp on collective truth.Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Get the ring that’s perfect for the woman, not the ring whose price tag aligns with an arbitrary algorithm. 18.Alexandra Macon, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
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After all, so many of the norms that make disability so inconvenient—font sizes, the height at which a drawing is hung—are utterly arbitrary, and so can be reinvented.Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Helter-skelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helter-skelter. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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