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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in disrupted
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
his grandfather would always tousle the boy's neatly combed hair
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tousled
Kara Nesvig, Allure, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Go big and bold like Cardi, try a romantic, tousled twist like Martha Stewart, or consider Hailey Bieber's tight, knotted ballerina bun, which the Rhode founder has been wearing on repeat.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tousled
Adjective
-
Depending on how things shake out in court, representation could get messy for west Charlotte’s City Council District 3.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And that the wig was messy, but cute.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And while those enforcement actions have not yet translated into criminal cases or fines against the employers, the raids themselves in some cases significantly disrupted business operations.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Muscle cramps and playing surfaces As muscles fatigue, the normal balance between signals in the nervous system that direct muscles to contract and relax become disrupted.—
Michael Hales,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a young and talented group with tremendous upside under a defensive coordinator who thrives off chaotic defensive lines.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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But everything about this first half offensively — save for one TD pass to Sutton — has felt unorganized and ineffective and chaotic.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The office had been working with elderly, low-income and disabled people to see what most confused them about SSA processes and what would most help them if these were redesigned.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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Forgive some Colorado Avalanche fans if they’re confused by the lack of noise as training camp beckons.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Budget cuts are about to bring big changes to San Diego’s 37 neighborhood library branches — including shorter hours, shuffled staff and rescheduled activities.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Sep. 2025
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Over the past two months, he’s been shuffled through three detention centers despite attempts to pay a bond set by the immigration judge.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As for Myers' short, textured locks, hairstylist DJ Quintero had rom-com queen Meg Ryan in mind; specifically her shaggy look in When Harry Met Sally.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Big curly cuts, bold afros, tight fades, shaggy layers, or a sharp bob—that’s my zone.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vic and Cali hadn’t wanted a wedding, but this had disturbed Vic’s parents.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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Some civil servants working to bolster democracy around the world and at home, for example, were disturbed by shifts in foreign policy.—
Yvonne Zylan,
The Conversation,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tousled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tousled. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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