hodgepodge

noun

hodge·​podge ˈhäj-ˌpäj 

: a heterogeneous mixture : jumble

a hodgepodge of styles

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

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

Instead, the roughly 20,700 records are a hodgepodge of PDFs, document files, slideshows and spreadsheets. —Lawrence Mower, Orlando Sentinel, 12 July 2024

The city used the building for a hodgepodge of activities from 2007 until 2016. —Alysa Guffey, The Indianapolis Star, 1 July 2024

The result has been a hodgepodge of different approaches, varying between the city’s 32 community districts, schools and even classrooms. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 June 2024

The hodgepodge replacement force that Russia scrounged up in the early summer failed badly on the battlefield. —Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 4 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

alteration of hotchpotch

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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