mess-up

/ˈmɛsˌʌp/

noun

A mistake or fiasco; something that has gone wrong.

Similar
muck-upaberrationbloomerblooperblunderbonerboo-boobreak
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Meanings

nounmess-up (plural mess-ups)

plural mess-ups

  1. informalA mistake or fiasco; something that has gone wrong.

    Synonyms: muck-up, aberration, bloomer, blooper, blunder, boner, boo-boo, break

  2. informalA person who makes many mistakes.

    Synonyms: alcatote, auf, botcher, bumbler, bungler, blunderer, blunderhead, butterfingers

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA mistake or fiasco; something that has gone wrong.

Similar
muck-upaberrationbloomerblooperblunderbonerboo-boobreakclangercock-updisadventureerrorfaultfaux pasfloaterflubflufffuckupgaffegoof

nounA person who makes many mistakes.

Similar
alcatoteaufbotcherbumblerbunglerblundererblunderheadbutterfingerschuckleheadclodhopperdauberdufferdumbshitfuckupfumblefingersfumblergalootgaumgawkgobaloon

More synonyms by meaning

nounsomething badly botched or muddled

Similar
ballupballs-upcockup
Broader
mistakeerrorfault
Also see
balls-upcockuperrorgoof-uphorlicksmuck-up

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Deverbal from mess up.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

mess-up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mess-up

MLA

“mess-up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mess-up. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mess-up,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mess-up.

Source: mess-up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.