| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | blunder, mess up |
| Synonyms: | ball up, boggle, botch, butcher, drop the ball, err, flub, foul up, fudge, fumble, goof up, gum up, louse up, make a mess of, mar, mess up, miscalculate, mishandle, mismanage, muff, ruin, screw up, spoil |
| Antonyms: | do well, fix, manage, succeed |
| Main Entry: | err |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make a mistake; do wrong |
| Synonyms: | be in error, be inaccurate, be incorrect, be mistaken, blow*, blunder, bollix, boo-boo, deviate, drop the ball, fall, flub, foul up, go astray, go wrong, goof, lapse, louse up, make a mess of, mess up*, misapprehend, misbehave, miscalculate, misjudge, muff, offend, screw up, sin, slip up, snafu, snarl up, stray, stumble, transgress, trespass, wander |
| Antonyms: | correct |
| Main Entry: | flounder |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | struggle; be in the dark |
| Synonyms: | blunder, bobble, cast about, come apart at the seams, drop the ball, fall down, flop, flummox, foul up, fumble, go at backwards, go to pieces, grope, labor, lurch, make a mess of, miss one's cue, muddle, plunge, pratfall, screw up, slip up, snafu, strive, stub one's toe, stumble, thrash, toil, toss, travail, trip up, tumble, wallow, work at |
| Notes: | founder means to sink, while flounder means to flail helplessly |
| Antonyms: | do well, succeed |
| Main Entry: | mishandle/mismanage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | mess up |
| Synonyms: | abuse, be incompetent, be inefficient, blow, blunder, botch, bungle, confound, err, flub, foul up, fumble, goof up, goof, gum up, harm, make a hash of, make a mess of, maladminister, misapply, misconduct, misdirect, misemploy, misgovern, mistreat, misuse, muff, overlook, pervert, prostitute, put foot in, screw up, shoot oneself in foot |
| Antonyms: | handle, manage |
| Main Entry: | muddle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | confuse, disorganize |
| Synonyms: | addle, befuddle, bewilder, blunder, botch, bungle, clutter, complicate, confound, daze, derange, disarrange, discombobulate, disorder, disorient, disturb, entangle, fluster, foul, foul up, jumble, louse up, make a mess of, mess, misarrange, mix, mix up, muck, mumble, murmur, nonplus, perplex, perturb, psych out, rattle, ravel, ruffle, scramble, shuffle, snafu, snarl, spoil, stir up, stumble, stupefy, tangle, throw, throw off, tumble |
| Antonyms: | clear up, educate, enlighten, explain, explicate, order, organize |
| Main Entry: | muff |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bungle |
| Synonyms: | blunder, boggle, botch, choke*, drop the ball, err, flub, foul up, fumble, goof up, make a mess of, mess up, miscalculate, mishandle, mismanage, screw up, slip |
| Main Entry: | ruin |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | devastate, destroy |
| Synonyms: | bankrupt, beggar, botch, break, bring down, bring to ruin, bust, clean out, crush, decimate, deface, defeat, defile, demolish, deplete, deplore, depredate, desecrate, despoil, devour, dilapidate, disfigure, do in, drain, exhaust, fleece, impoverish, injure, lay waste, maim, make a mess of, mangle, mar, mutilate, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, pauperize, pillage, rape, ravish, raze, reduce, sack, shatter, smash, spoil, spoilate, total, use up, wipe out, wrack, wreak havoc on, wreck |
| Notes: | rack is destruction and ruin is destitution; in rack and ruin, rack is a variation of wrack and wreck |
| Antonyms: | build, construct, create, develop, grow |
| Main Entry: | pauperize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ruin |
| Synonyms: | bankrupt, beggar, botch, break*, bring down, bring to ruin, bust, clean out, crush, decimate, deface, defeat, defile, demolish, deplete, deplore, depredate, desecrate, despoil, devour, dilapidate, disfigure, do in, drain, exhaust, fleece, impoverish, injure, lay waste, maim, make a mess of, mangle, mar, mutilate, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, pillage, rape, ravish, raze, reduce, sack, shatter, smash, spoil, spoilate, total*, use up, wipe out, wrack, wreak havoc on, wreck |