concoction

noun

con·​coc·​tion kən-ˈkäk-shən 

kän-

plural concoctions

1

: something (such as a food or drink) that is concocted from various elements : something prepared or devised by combining different ingredients

an elaborate concoction

This concoction is a cross between hot chocolate and a grasshopper, a mixed drink that gets its minty kick from crème de menthe.

—Kim Steckler

… the disc offers quite an unusual concoction of old and new songs that are surprisingly cohesive.

—Jon Hetman

2

: the act of process of concocting something

One of these young men had a rare faculty in the concoction of gin-cocktails.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

Synonyms

• brainchild
• coinage
• contrivance
• creation
• innovation
• invention
• wrinkle

Examples of concoction in a Sentence

the first submarine must have seemed like a wild concoction at the time

Recent Examples on the Web

The concoction in the cup had made my father’s hair unnaturally, propagandistically black. —Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 14 June 2025

This grain salad, a nostalgic concoction inspired by my recent ladies’ trip to Mexico, is packed with crunchy jicama, green onion, corn and bell pepper, with luscious nuggets of mango and tomato adding the right amount of sweetness to cut the tangy lime dressing. —Laura McLively, Mercury News, 9 June 2025

All of Martin’s concoctions emphasized ease of consumption—only requiring one or two ingredients—as well as distinctive presentation. —Time, 4 June 2025

The Brokenwood Mysteries is an interesting concoction: a pleasing throwback to cop dramas and murder mysteries of the 1970s that feels particularly indebted to American influences, but which often steps out into new terrain. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 1 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for concoction

• decoction
• auction