ado

noun

ə-ˈdü 

1

: heightened fuss or concern : to-do

much ado about the need for reform

2

: time-wasting bother over trivial details

wrote the paper without further ado

3

: trouble, difficulty

The journey itself is not described; our heroes disembark without ado at Philadelphia.

—Anthony Lane

Synonyms

• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of ado in a Sentence

a bride-to-be caught up in the usual prenuptial ado

Recent Examples on the Web

Without any further ado, keep scrolling for a vibe check on which Dyson products have stood the test of time. —Karina Hoshikawa, refinery29.com, 12 Aug. 2024

Without any further ado, here are the 21 best stuff and things our editors bought and loved last month. —Karina Hoshikawa, refinery29.com, 10 June 2024

How about now? Zachary Levine, Rockville Much ado about nothing? —Washington Post, 8 July 2024

Though much ado was made about The Marvels being the lowest-grossing film in the Marvel universe, that shouldn’t deter you from giving it a watch. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 4 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, reduced from the infinitive phrase at do, from at "to, at entry 1" + do, don "to do entry 1"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ado

• without further ado

Kids Definition

ado

noun

ə-ˈdü 

: fuss entry 1 sense 1, trouble

much ado about nothing