pell-mell 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of pell-mellnext
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 messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness pell-mell piles of books everywhere in the professor's library

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pell-mell

2 of 2

adverb

ˌpel-ˈmel How to pronounce pell-mell (audio)
1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner tossed stuff pell-mell into the dorm room

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed ran pell-mell down the road to get help

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pell-mell
Adverb
The sight of Musk swinging a chainsaw onstage at a conservative conference captured the pell-mell approach, not to mention the brutality, of the billionaire’s plan to bring the federal government to heel. — Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025 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 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 See All Example Sentences for pell-mell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pell-mell
  1. hurried
  2. messy
  3. frantically
  4. hastily
  5. rushed
  6. chaotic
  7. wildly
  8. hurriedly
Adjective
  • Homemade enchiladas might sound like a laborious weekend project, but with a few clever tricks, this version made with black beans and pumpkin can be whipped up on even the most hurried of work nights.
    — Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Dooley emphasized the preliminary nature of the ruling and the hurried nature of the litigation preceding it in a short, 12-page decision.
    — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of hurried
Adjective
  • Emmet Fraizer investigates the uncertain future (and messy recent past) of the beloved science publication.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The request was the latest salvo in the messy war where Ghost is suing Wilson for defamation, and Wilson is pursuing counterclaims against the producers for alleged bullying, intimidation, and breach of contract.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of messy
Adverb
  • Lawson was then seen frantically messing with the right side of his pants and holding a dark object in his right hand, police said.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As all of this was playing out, hardcore Dylan fans were frantically trying to figure out who was playing guitar on the far side of the stage.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of frantically
Adverb
  • Did traffickers hastily ditch their extremely valuable cargo, maybe after being spooked by nearby patrols?
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The bug had never come up in testing, and the FIA had to hastily write and then distribute to the teams a software update to solve the problem.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of hastily
Adjective
  • Critics, including Commissioners Christine King and Damian Pardo, call it a rushed effort that could be paid for with existing tax dollars without asking voters for more.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The teen’s family has said this was a rushed judgment that did not involve a thorough enough investigation.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
Definition of rushed
Adjective
  • The tightness of White’s control over his arrangements can occasionally foreclose the sense of chaotic freedom inherent to his more collaborative efforts.
    — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Now that Texas Tech has also suffered a conference loss, we are headed towards a wild final week of October, which will lead to a chaotic month of November as teams fight for a spot in the college football playoff.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of chaotic
Adverb
  • Different generations, different designers, and two wildly different approaches to getting dressed up.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Tom Brady still looks good on the field—not because of his wildly accurate throws, but because of his Rolex.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of wildly
Adverb
  • Her husband hurriedly shut the door and begged her to see a doctor for a tranquilizer prescription.
    — Elvira Navarro, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Antonelli hurriedly informed his race engineer, Peter Bonnington, who had been regularly reminding the Italian to adhere to track limits throughout the race and to look after his car.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of hurriedly

Browse Nearby Words

pellets
pell-mell
pellucid
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Cite this Entry

“Pell-mell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pell-mell. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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