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screwing up

VERB

make a mess of

Synonyms

STRONGEST

botch bungle confuse flub muddle spoil

WEAK

blow bobble bollix foul up goof goof up louse make hash of mess mess up mishandle mismanage muck up muff snafu

Antonyms

STRONGEST

clear up do well enlighten explain order organize succeed

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.

“You can’t have a career without having stumbles or screwing up — that’s just part of life,” he tells me.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

“I guess we’ll call this screwing up the second half of my spin a dramatic finish,” Levito said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2023

"We need to refocus our efforts on screwing up mitosis -- on making chromosomal segregation worse."

From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2023

The awkwardness of screwing up in front of strangers, butchering their language and sweating while you raid the mind’s dusty corners for a verb conjugation, is not to be found here.

From Slate • Jul. 25, 2023

He didn’t care, though; he was too busy screwing up his courage for what he was about to do.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling