1
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
when the theater doors opened, there was a pell-mell rush for the best seats
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chaotic
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
pell-mell piles of books everywhere in the professor's library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
tossed stuff pell-mell into the dorm room
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2
as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed
ran pell-mell down the road to get help
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pell-mell
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
The sight of Musk swinging a chainsaw onstage at a conservative conference captured the pell-mell approach, not to mention the brutality, of the billionaire’s plan to bring the federal government to heel.
—
Andy Kroll,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
What could slow the pell-mell stock market advance of artificial intelligence?
—
Larry Light,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Adverb
The sight of Musk swinging a chainsaw onstage at a conservative conference captured the pell-mell approach, not to mention the brutality, of the billionaire’s plan to bring the federal government to heel.
—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
The sight of Musk swinging a chainsaw onstage at a conservative conference captured the pell-mell approach, not to mention the brutality, of the billionaire’s plan to bring the federal government to heel.
—
Andy Kroll,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
What could slow the pell-mell stock market advance of artificial intelligence?
—
Larry Light,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pell-mell
Adjective
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But for some reason the powers that be have decreed artificial intelligence a civilizational imperative, requiring the hurried construction of swarms of data centers, on Earth and in space.
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Right now, decisions are being made in a hurried, contradictory fashion.
Adjective
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By building circuits whose states naturally fluctuate with this environmental heat, thermodynamic computing turns an otherwise stochastic and chaotic feature of nature into an incredibly fast, ultra-low-energy calculator.
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The combat that follows is intimate, chaotic, and bloody.
Adverb
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The Melodies of the Danube itinerary connects Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, and the Wachau Valley coherently rather than frantically.
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Mount Baldy made headlines in 2013 when a 6-year-old boy was suddenly swallowed by the dune, prompting rescues to frantically dig him out.
Adverb
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Jelinek hastily asked for a ten-minute break, and the judge granted it.
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There is some sort of tension after Olive hastily kisses Carlsen, who grabs her key-in badge to learn her name.
Adjective
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Instead, Mahan and his wealthy Silicon Valley backers talked themselves into a rushed and premature campaign that was never remotely competitive.
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As immigration officers arrested her six weeks ago, through tears and a rushed goodbye, Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez had a request for her daughter.
Adjective
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Interviews for the statewide candidates are done now via questions from the entire convention, a potentially messier proposition.
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More vehicles on the road means more potential for complex, multi-vehicle collisions and messier disputes over who caused what.
Adverb
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In a wildly entertaining match from start-to-finish, Norway did just enough to sneak into the round of 16 for a date with Brazil in New York/New Jersey.
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The challenges all take place outside of the studio and are wildly imaginative and surprisingly low-fi.
Adverb
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As the party raged on LACMA’s campus, hundreds of parade participants hurriedly prepared for their debuts in the corners of nearby streets and parking lots.
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If another family attempts to invade that space, they are hurriedly pushed away by loud squawking and aggressive flying.
Cite this Entry
“Pell-mell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pell-mell. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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