screw up

Make a mess

Screw up means to make a serious mistake or ruin something through error or incompetence: I really screwed up that presentation.

The noun screw-up is either the mistake itself or the person who made it: What a screw-up.

The phrase is mildly vulgar but common in casual speech, softer than "fuck up" but carrying the same meaning.

mistake

blunder

Foolish, costly mistake

  • botchSpoil through incompetence
  • bungleFail through clumsiness
  • fumbleHandle with clumsy fingers

flub · goof · mishap · misstep · gaffe · slip · oversight · foul-up · snafu · miscue

damage

wreck

Destroyed vessel or vehicle

  • ruinComplete destruction or collapse
  • spoilDamage or overindulge
  • sabotageDeliberate disruption of operations

botch · mess up · destroy · undermine · compromise · impair · mar · tarnish · bungle · derail

disorder

mess

Disorderly, troublesome condition

confusion · tangle · muddle · jumble · havoc · fiasco · debacle · disaster · catastrophe · train wreck

emotion

regret

Sorrow over past actions

shame · anxiety · stress · panic · dread · self-reproach · chagrin · dismay · humiliation · mortification

Categories
Opposites
execution quality

screw upnail it

Succeed perfectly at something

succeed · ace it · ace · pull off · nail

order vs. disorder

screw upfix

Repair or solution

sort out · straighten out · set right · repair · rectify

emotional/relational impact

screw upcome through

Fulfill when needed

do right by · deliver · make good · prove oneself · redeem oneself

Family

screw, screws, screwed, screwy, unscrew, screwball, screwdriver, unscrewed, screwing

Familiarity
Top 20,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG