hodgepodge

noun

hodge·​podge ˈhäj-ˌpäj 

: a heterogeneous mixture : jumble

a hodgepodge of styles

Synonyms

• jumble
• medley
• variety
• assortment
• collage
• mishmash

Examples of hodgepodge in a Sentence

the exhibit was a hodgepodge of mediocre art, bad art, and really bad art

Recent Examples on the Web

While the homage is heartfelt, and certainly packs its share of genuine laughs, the end result can’t escape feeling like a hodgepodge, incapable of cohesively blending the satirical elements with the earnest messaging foremost on its mind. —Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025

His staff, culled from a hodgepodge of local law-enforcement groups, is green. —Judy Berman, Time, 28 Aug. 2025

The 16-team conference holding onto a legacy number in its name is a hodgepodge of teams from all over the country. —Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2025

Those vehicles are built by cobbling together a hodgepodge of individual components that evolved independently of one another over time, like a house that’s been slowly renovated several times across decades. —Patrick George, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of hotchpotch

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hodgepodge

• fuselage
• auge
• hodge
• podge
• dislodge

Kids Definition

hodgepodge

noun

hodge·​podge ˈhäj-ˌpäj 

: a confused mixture : jumble

Etymology

an altered form of hotchpotch, from Middle English hochepot "mixed stew," derived from early French hochepot (same meaning), from hochier "to shake" and pot "pot, container"

Word Origin

Hodgepodge and its older form hotchpotch are part of a group of words that rhyme all by themselves. Hobnob and willy-nilly are others. In the case of hodgepodge and hotchpotch, the rhyme is not an accident. These words came to English from early French in the form hochepot. The spelling was changed to make the second half of the word rhyme with the first. In French hochepot was a stew of many foods cooked together in a pot. Perhaps the pot was shaken instead of stirred since hochepot was formed from hochier, meaning "to shake," and pot, which had the same meaning in early French as it does in English now. Before long hotchpotch and hodgepodge were used not just for a mixture of foods cooking in a pot but for any mixture of different things.

Legal Definition

Hodge Podge

noun

ˈhäj-ˌpäj

: main pot