1
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
when the theater doors opened, there was a pell-mell rush for the best seats
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chaotic
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
pell-mell piles of books everywhere in the professor's library
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1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
tossed stuff pell-mell into the dorm room
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2
as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed
ran pell-mell down the road to get help
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pell-mell
Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Abe and Mary are part Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, part George and Martha, part the old vaudevillians George Burns and Gracie Allen, all running together pell-mell toward the Copacabana.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024
Administration officials don’t see this situation as similar to October 2022, when the intelligence community saw a significant possibility Putin might use tactical nuclear weapons to avert a collapse of Russia’s front lines in Ukraine and prevent a pell-mell retreat.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Ultimately, the more naturalistic second half — which has a realistic set with chairs and tables, delivered in a clunky black-out transition by intrusive stagehands — gets as sharp and loud as the pell-mell sounds-and-lights first half.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2024
Only a few of them stopped with remainder racing pell-mell through the intersection as approaching cars on Charles braked abruptly.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024
Ministry is not nearly as proficient as Chad Stahelski’s John Wick 4 or Matthias Schweighöfer’s Army of Thieves, but the pell-mell combat scenes are consistently cartoonish.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
America saw a pell-mell downsizing of gas-guzzling vehicles and a simultaneous ramping up of imports of fuel-efficient Japanese cars.
—Jim Krane, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023
The brokers surged out of the exchange, stumbling pell-mell over each other in the general confusion, and reached their respective offices in racehorse time.
—Mickey Butts, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
Adverb
People ran pell-mell outside, sped away in cars with no clear destination, went to church, or just phoned the police or radio station to hyperventilate.
—Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Abe and Mary are part Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, part George and Martha, part the old vaudevillians George Burns and Gracie Allen, all running together pell-mell toward the Copacabana.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024
Administration officials don’t see this situation as similar to October 2022, when the intelligence community saw a significant possibility Putin might use tactical nuclear weapons to avert a collapse of Russia’s front lines in Ukraine and prevent a pell-mell retreat.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Ultimately, the more naturalistic second half — which has a realistic set with chairs and tables, delivered in a clunky black-out transition by intrusive stagehands — gets as sharp and loud as the pell-mell sounds-and-lights first half.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2024
Only a few of them stopped with remainder racing pell-mell through the intersection as approaching cars on Charles braked abruptly.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024
Ministry is not nearly as proficient as Chad Stahelski’s John Wick 4 or Matthias Schweighöfer’s Army of Thieves, but the pell-mell combat scenes are consistently cartoonish.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
America saw a pell-mell downsizing of gas-guzzling vehicles and a simultaneous ramping up of imports of fuel-efficient Japanese cars.
—Jim Krane, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023
The brokers surged out of the exchange, stumbling pell-mell over each other in the general confusion, and reached their respective offices in racehorse time.
—Mickey Butts, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pell-mell
Adjective
-
This comes as the Trump administration has faced growing criticisms for its hurried proceedings to remove as many noncitizens from the country as quickly as possible.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2025
-
In Alentejo, food is meant to be shared, and time at the table is never hurried, and this is a central element of the experience at São Lourenço do Barrocal.—
Monica Mendal,
Vogue,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That two-minute sequence summed up the deficiencies and overall chaotic play.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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The stunning image shows the classic spiral swirl of M81 — also known as Bode's Galaxy — suspended against the chaotic cloud patterns of the nebula, with the Cigar Galaxy lurking to its left.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
15 May 2025
Adverb
-
For a time, all is chaos, the men frantically running, apparently without direction or strategy.—
Jeannette Catsoulis,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
-
Looking ahead, this will force three major changes: smaller companies will close or be bought out, businesses will frantically look for suppliers outside China, and consumers will ultimately pay higher prices.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Adverb
-
Flashpoint Kashmir has been a flashpoint since 1947, when British India was hastily divided into two by its former colonial rulers.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
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Those that disregard the founder’s legacy, alienate key stakeholders, neglect relationship-building, or move too hastily are doomed to failure.—
George Bradt,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
These are released to Pixels almost immediately, while other OEMs must combine with their own fixes and then run these out across the messy Android ecosystem.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
-
The dips are wet, messy behemoths of meat, juice and bread.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
Adverb
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Including: a Hitchcockian crime feature with high-fashion sensibilities, a culinary film that critiques perfectionism in a manner that would make Whiplash proud, and a wildly underrated psychological thriller with one of the most demented performances in recent memory.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
-
Mark Henry is another wildly former Olympian, having won the World Heavyweight Championship, the ECW Championship, and the WWF European Championship.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
In his headlong rush to success, an oddball comedian abandons his most loyal allies.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
7 May 2025
-
In his headlong rush to replace Pax Americana with America First, Mr. Trump has left the world fumbling to adjust to a new landscape, the contours of which are still in flux.—
Mark Landler,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Adverb
-
All of it wild-caught.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
orlandosentinel.com,
14 Aug. 2020
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Our first stop is in a wild-looking stretch 200 yards south of the railroad tracks and State Street.—
Paul A. Smith,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Pell-mell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pell-mell. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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