1
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
a bill that was pushed through committee in a last-minute helter-skelter burst of legislative activity
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2
as in random
lacking a definite plan, purpose, or pattern
papers, books, and unopened mail were stacked helter-skelter on the desk
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1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
the sheep ran helter-skelter inside their pen when the coyote appeared in their midst
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2
as in randomly
without definite aim, direction, rule, or method
goods arranged helter-skelter on the shelves of the variety store
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as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
in the helter-skelter at the amusement park the child got separated from his parents
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of helter-skelter
The Enquirer, 25 Feb. 2023
After a helter-skelter start, Mr. Vovk and his top managers reorganized.
—Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2023
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
On a day when the Valkyries were stuck in neutral, her helter-skelter play-style and willingness to bomb away from deep was one of the team’s few bright spots.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 July 2025
His mouth is closed and fixed in a humorless grin, concealing the eating machine within eight rows of long, hollow teeth arranged helter-skelter in each rank like thorns on a dead rose.
—Pat Smith, Outdoor Life, 24 July 2025
California continued the helter-skelter Challenger weekend, topping Nashville in a DB 22-20.
—Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Meanwhile, the Nuggets showed their championship mettle in a helter-skelter win in the final seconds.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025
The Knicks led a helter-skelter match 103-92 with just over eight minutes to go, but a 20-2 Detroit run over the next five-and-a-half minutes carried the Pistons to a seven-point advantage.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 May 2025
For millions of employers around the country, the Trump administration's helter-skelter approach to imposing tariffs on key trading partners, along with just about every other country on the planet, has been challenging, corporate executives and small business owners have told CBS News.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2025
With their helter-skelter, pressing style, the Grizzlies are a balanced team.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
The opening quarter-hour produced a fast but helter-skelter showing.
—Adverb
Its regularity and rhythm cut against a helter-skelter modernity that has neither.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for helter-skelter
Adjective
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Facing a schedule filled with hurried days, countless steps, and occasions that require outfits equal parts practical and chic?—
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Niccol has espoused the hopes of returning Starbucks to a cozy third space, away from the image of being a hurried pitstop to pick up a morning espresso, and toward 1990s nostalgia of lingering over a latte.—
Adjective
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Even more striking, the gas moved in a very orderly and coherent way, with far less random motion than the surrounding stars.—
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Not random or easily forgotten.—
Adverb
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The phone logs show Goudreau frantically trying to get Denman and Berry out safely.—
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When Marissa runs through her house, frantically searching for Milo, the scene doubles as a tour of the Irvines’ palatial lakefront home as captured by directors Minkie Spiro and Kate Dennis.—
Adverb
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When a mysterious and legendary skeleton, badly injured, randomly resurfaced in 2018, an interdisciplinary team of researchers went to work to find out who the person was.—
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The adults were randomly separated into two groups.—
Noun
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During the commotion, the agent’s shaky cellphone video shows houses along the street and views of the sky.—
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In the heat of the moment, though, Certa was clearly walking after one of the officials, but Shrewsberry came barreling in as the official turned around to see the commotion.—
Adjective
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The rushed start wasn’t the only hiccup.—
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The national bill – passed on the final day of parliament last year – was criticized at the time as a rushed piece of legislation conceived to win votes before the 2025 election.—
Adjective
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Its fractured, scattered form, grasping for structure instead of pretending to master it, is an attempt to build a future that will include both author and reader.—
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On Sunday, rain will pick up across the Midwest from Kansas and Missouri through Ohio and Pennsylvania while scattered thunderstorms are possible from Arkansas up to Ohio, with some possibly strong enough to bring gusty winds and maybe an isolated tornado.—
Adverb
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Song Sung Blue is very much a two-hander, exploring the real-life romantic and professional pairing of Mike and Claire Sardina (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson), entertainers who teamed up to form the wildly popular Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning and Thunder.—
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Les Baux-de-Provence Built into a rocky outcropping that's part of the Alpilles mountain chain, Les Baux-de-Provence has a rugged and wildly impressive setting.—
Cite this Entry
“Helter-skelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/helter-skelter. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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