mélange

noun

mé·​lange mā-ˈlänj  mā-ˈläⁿzh 

: a mixture often of incongruous elements

a mélange of architectural styles

Did you know?

Mélange got mixed into the melting pot of English back in the 1600s. It derives from the Middle French verb mesler, which means "to mix." "Mélange" is actually one of several French contributions to the English body of words for miscellaneous mixtures. "Pastiche" (meaning "a composition made up of selections of different works," or broadly, "a disorderly mixture, hodgepodge") is borrowed from French, and "medley" and "potpourri" have roots in French, too. There's also the lesser known "gallimaufry" (meaning "hodgepodge"), which comes from the Middle French galimafree (meaning "stew").

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• 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 mélange in a Sentence

a mélange of colors and shapes

a mélange of architectural styles

Recent Examples on the Web

The plot can sometimes feel like a chaotic melange stretched too thin, but White, who wrote the Illumination avian charmer Migration, elevates the overall narrative by injecting doses of his perennial interest in the social codes of the rich. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 June 2024

Here, German-Danish designer Gesa Hansen has created a whimsical melange of texture: brick walls, leather banquettes, playful carpeting, abstract wallpaper, slender mid-century wood chairs, and mix-and-match tilework. —Chadner Navarro, Vogue, 6 July 2024

Even the aromas were on point, a subtly sweet melange of honeysuckle, sandalwood, and perhaps a touch of vanilla. —Paul Jebara, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024

And Edson’s braised-rabbit stew is a deeply satisfying melange of orzo, sunchokes, French beans and leek sauce. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 10 June 2024

As seen in her most ethereal makeup look yet, a melange of shimmery shadows blanketed her lids. —India Espy-Jones, Essence, 30 May 2024

The soundtrack is a synth-heavy melange that can be ambient or anthemic, intimate in its excavation of inner feelings or defiantly declarative, at times leaning into rap. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 2024

In the novels – and Denis Villeneuve's movies – the Atreides move to Arrakis to take over production of the valuable fictional spice melange that drives commerce, and also war. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 May 2024

Billed as a cultural celebration of Los Angeles, Everybody’s In L.A. intersperses field pieces with Mulaney’s unique brand of standup, a melange of observational humor and fey self-deprecation. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "act of mixing, mixture," going back to Middle French meslinges, meslanges (plural), from mesler, meler "to mix" + -ange, deverbal action noun suffix (as in Old French loange "praise," vuidange "emptying, outlet"), borrowed from Old Low Franconian *-inga-, *-unga-, going back to Germanic *-ingō, *-ungō — more at meddle, -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

mélange

noun

mé·​lange mā-ˈlänzh  -ˈlänj 

: a mixture often of dissimilar elements