Word
screwed
US/ˈskɹud/
UK/skɹˈuːd/
Definitions
01in big trouble
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · Slang
adj. in a very difficult situation where it seems impossible to succeed or escape.
adj. beset by unfortunate circumstances that appear insurmountable; in imminent danger of failure or punishment.
“If I don't finish this report by midnight, I'm totally screwed.”
“The company realized they were screwed once the lead investor pulled out just days before the payroll was due.”
Usage
Often used with 'totally' or 'completely' for emphasis.
Teaching tip
While common, this can be considered mildly vulgar by some speakers; students should avoid it in professional or formal writing.
02broken or ruined
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal · Slang
adj. damaged so badly that it no longer works.
adj. rendered inoperable or ruined through damage or mismanagement.
“My laptop screen is screwed after I dropped it on the stairs.”
“The engine is completely screwed, and the mechanic says it will cost more to fix than the car is worth.”
Usage
Typically used as a predicative adjective after the verb 'to be'.
Real-World Examples
“But if you have this view that you have to get on that path and if you fall off that path then you're screwed, that's definitely not at all supported by the data.” “One said: “If voters aren’t better off by the next election, we are screwed.” “But I tried anyway, and at times I had to focus so hard on the social aspect that I completely screwed up the coffee bit.” Etymology
From screw + -ed. * The modern sense of screwed originates in the mid-1600s with a sense of to screw as a means of "exerting pressure or coercion", probably in reference to instruments of torture (e.g. thumbscrews). It quickly gained a wider general sense of "in a bind; in unfortunate inescapable circumstances". When the verb screw gained a sexual connotation in the early 1700s, it joined the long-lasting association of sexual imagery as a metaphor for domination, leading to screwed gaining synonyms like fucked and shagged. On a more general note, this is a prime example of the frequent tendency for verb participles to evolve into participial adjectives. * The sense meaning "intoxicated" is from the early 1800s, and is associated with the term screwy, and the idiom to have a screw loose.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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