	Appearance
✓	Use device theme
✓	Dark theme
✓	Light theme

What is another word for screw up?

Need synonyms for screw up? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

Contexts ▼

Verb

To make a mess of

To muster or pluck up

To destroy or disrupt by means of sabotage

To draw or make tight or taut

To compress into small folds or ridges

To frown or show displeasure facially

To fail, plough, or flop in an academic, professional, or competitive setting

To form into a knot, or into knots

To distort or be distorted

To make fast or more secure

To hamper or get in the way of

To frustrate or prevent (someone) from achieving an aim

To make something more complex

To fill with distress or alarm

A mistake arising from or resulting in confusion

Someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence

A sequence of events so absurd, complicated and uncommon as to be unbelievable

An object, person or endeavor in a state of failure

The state of being ineffective at a given task due being disorganized

… more ▼

Verb

To make a mess of

make a dog's dinner of

get the wrong end of the stick

get the wrong idea about

overrate

estimate wrongly

get signals crossed

put a wrong interpretation on

receive a false impression

be under a delusion

be barking up the wrong tree

get hold of the wrong end of the stick

misthink

misrepresent

get the wrong impression

calculate wrongly

put your foot in your mouth

get your lines crossed about

get the wrong impression about

misidentify

misstep

not know

have wrong impression

come to hasty conclusion

jump to the wrong conclusion about

get the wrong end of the stick about

mistranslate

take something the wrong way

take out of context

get a false impression of

make a wrong interpretation of

disregard

discount

make a mistake about

more ❯

“After studying all night, I managed to screw up my presentation by forgetting all my talking points.”

Verb

▲

To muster or pluck up

Verb

▲

To destroy or disrupt by means of sabotage

throw a spanner in the works

throw a monkey wrench in the works of

neutralize^US

neutralise^UK

make of no use or value

rain on someone's parade

vaporize^US

pulverize^US

pulverise^UK

vaporise^UK

destabilize^US

jeopardize^US

jeopardise^UK

destabilise^UK

put out of commission

throw a monkey wrench into

vandalize^US

vandalise^UK

traumatize^US

traumatise^UK

be disadvantageous to

drive a nail into the coffin of

brutalize^US

brutalise^UK

imperil

paralyze^US

paralyse^UK

have a negative effect on

bring about the downfall of

be a blot on the landscape

freeboot

sour

color^US

colour^UK

moonlight requisition

discolour^UK

discolor^US

cause the sacrifice of

burglarize^US

burglarise^UK

bring a note of sadness to

throw monkey wrench in

more ❯

Verb

▲

To draw or make tight or taut

more ❯

Verb

▲

To compress into small folds or ridges

more ❯

Verb

▲

To frown or show displeasure facially

Verb

To fail, plough, or flop in an academic, professional, or competitive setting

flunk

fail

plow^US

plough^UK

be unsuccessful in

not make the grade at

not come up to scratch in

not come up to the mark in

not come up to scratch

go down like a lead balloon

come apart at the seams

not come up to the mark

fall short of expectations

fall flat on your face

blow up in someone's face

not come up to expectations

end in disappointment

go over like a lead balloon

have an adverse effect

spring back

be counterproductive

not go as planned

have unwelcome repercussions for

bounce back

cause one to be hoist with one's own petard

come back

submit

more ❯

Verb

▲

To form into a knot, or into knots

more ❯

Verb

▲

To distort or be distorted

Verb

To make fast or more secure

Verb

To hamper or get in the way of

baulk^UK

balk^US

throw a monkey wrench in the works of

throw a spanner in the works

neutralize^US

neutralise^UK

put a spoke in someone's wheel

anticipate

sidestep

skirt

cramp someone's style

throw monkey wrench in

bring to screeching halt

keep lid on

bring to a standstill

put at a disadvantage

hem in

turn off

crash

place at a disadvantage

queer someone's pitch

beat someone to the draw

beat someone to the punch

throw a monkey wrench in the works

prevent from making progress

put out of commission

throw a spoke in the wheel of

make it impossible for

make it impracticable for

destabilize^US

demoralize^US

throw a monkey wrench into

not allow to go beyond

keep within the limits of

take wind out of sails

demoralise^UK

destabilise^UK

ostracize^US

take the wind out of your sails

immobilize^US

give a disadvantage to

be unfair to

put in an unfavourable position

treat unfavourably

tell against

inflict a handicap on

ostracise^UK

immobilise^UK

bring someone to their knees

put on the back burner

more ❯

Verb

▲

To frustrate or prevent (someone) from achieving an aim

neutralise^UK

neutralize^US

baulk^UK

balk^US

put a spoke in someone's wheel

put end to

take wind out of sails

throw a spanner in the works

throw monkey wrench in

halt in its tracks

throw a monkey wrench in the works

queer someone's pitch

take the wind out of your sails

throw a monkey wrench in the works of

dead-end

put on hold

hang fire

throw a monkey wrench into

equalize^US

equalise^UK

more ❯

Verb

▲

To make something more complex

render unintelligible

color^US

colour^UK

throw up smoke screen

discolour^UK

discolor^US

more ❯

Verb

▲

To fill with distress or alarm

demoralise^UK

demoralize^US

terrorise^UK

terrorize^US

appal^UK

appall^US

paralyse^UK

paralyze^US

fill with consternation

stop someone in their tracks

knock the stuffing out of

set someone thinking

leave aghast

cause to be at a stand

make someone scratch their head

scandalize^US

scandalise^UK

put someone off their stroke

make one's hair stand on end

agonize^US

traumatize^US

agonise^UK

give someone the blues

jar

tick off

set someone back on their heels

traumatise^UK

take the wind out of your sails

hurt somebody's feelings

antagonize^US

scare the bejesus out of

scare the pants off

antagonise^UK

devastate

lie heavy on

give someone goose pimples

scare someone out of their wits

scare the living daylights out of

put the fear of God into

electrify

give a hard time

throw into a blue funk

dampen spirits

make unhappy

make one's blood run cold

tantalize^US

tantalise^UK

cause anxiety to

shatter

dampen the spirits of

give someone the heebie-jeebies

make someone's hair stand on end

throw off

persecute

put out of countenance

pull the rug from under

benumb

put someone off their stride

pull the rug out from under

take your breath away

make someone jump out of their skin

frighten someone out of their wits

send into a cold sweat

make someone's blood run cold

make someone shake in their shoes

frighten the life out of

scare the life out of

frighten to death

scare the hell out of

frighten the living daylights out of

make one's flesh creep

give one the creeps

dump on

bring tears to your eyes

mess with someone's head

make one's heart bleed

destabilize^US

destabilise^UK

knock the wind out of

undermine one's confidence

harsh one's mellow

scare the daylights out of

cause someone to lose their composure

tease

blind someone with something

hinder

castrate

completely surprise

raise someone's eyebrows

shake out of your complacency

hit like ton of bricks

balk^US

baulk^UK

sap the confidence of

chill someone's blood

make fearful

give someone a fright

make someone's hair curl

shatter the illusions of

weigh heavily on one's mind

dampen someone's hopes

harsh someone's mellow

make someone's heart bleed

keep under

make desolate

hang over

break someone's spirit

break someone's heart

tyrannize^US

tread on someone's toes

cause offense

be an affront to

be offensive

put someone's nose out of joint

frighten out of your wits

scare the pants off of

give someone the hump

tyrannise^UK

scare someone half to death

more ❯

Noun

▲

A mistake arising from or resulting in confusion

offence^UK

offense^US

misbehavior^US

misdemeanor^US

typographical mistake

putting foot in mouth

misreading of the situation

self-defeating action

plot error

more ❯

Noun

▲

Someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence

more ❯

Noun

▲

A sequence of events so absurd, complicated and uncommon as to be unbelievable

Noun

▲

An object, person or endeavor in a state of failure

unfortunate development

more ❯

Noun

▲

The state of being ineffective at a given task due being disorganized

	Find more words!








screw up
Use * for blank tiles (max 2) Advanced Search Advanced Search
Use * for blank spaces Advanced Search
Advanced Word Finder

What is another word for screw up?

Need synonyms for screw up? Here's a list of similar words from our thesaurus that you can use instead.

See Also