stew

1 a state of nervous or irritated concern many in town are in a stew about the proposed plan to close at least one of the elementary schools Synonyms of stew dither, fluster, fuss, huff, lather, pother, fret, sweat, swelter, swivet, tizzy, twitterWords Related to stew bother, dudgeon, pique; alarm (also alarum), hand-wringing, panic; ado, agitation, delirium, distraction, furor, hysteria, uproar; nervous breakdown

2 a state of noisy, confused activity the audience went into a stew when the evacuation order was announced Synonyms of stew ado, alarums and excursions, ballyhoo, blather, bluster, bobbery, bother, bustle, clatter, clutter [chiefly dialect], coil, corroboree [Australian], disturbance, do [chiefly dialect], foofaraw, fun, furor, furore, fuss, helter-skelter, hoo-ha (also hoo-hah), hoopla, hubble-bubble, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly, hurly-burly, hurricane, hurry, hurry-scurry (or hurry-skurry), kerfuffle [chiefly British], moil, pandemonium, pother, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, splore [Scottish], squall, commotion, stir, storm, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, welter, whirl, williwaw, zooWords Related to stew cacophony, clamor, din, howl, hue and cry, noise, outcry, racket, roar; disorder, unrest, upheaval; eruption, flare-up, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst; brawl, fracas, fray, hassle, melee (also mêlée), scuffle; dither, fever, fret, lather, tizzyNear Antonyms of stew calm, hush, peace, quiet, quietude, rest, stillness, tranquillity (or tranquility); order, orderliness

3 an unorganized collection or mixture of various things the documentary looks at the stew of conspiracy theories inspired by the assassination Synonyms of stew agglomerate, agglomeration, alphabet soup, assortment, botch, clutter, collage, crazy quilt, farrago, gallimaufry, grab bag, gumbo, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jambalaya, jumble, jungle, litter, macédoine, medley, mélange, menagerie, miscellanea, mishmash, mixed bag, montage, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, pastiche, patchwork, patchwork quilt, potpourri, ragbag, ragout, rummage, salad, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, miscellany, tumble, variety, welterWords Related to stew detritus, notions, oddments, odds and ends, sundries; accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomerate, conglomeration; catchall; admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up; bollix, chaos, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, dog's breakfast [chiefly British], mess, morass, muddle, shambles; imbroglio, knot, snarl, tangle

4 a building in which prostitutes are available a red-light district full of down and dirty stews Synonyms of stew bagnio, bawdy house, brothel, cathouse, disorderly house, sporting house, bordello, whorehouseWords Related to stew call house, crib; massage parlor; harem, seraglio

1 to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam stew the chicken till tender, and then remove the meat from the bones Synonyms of stew coddle, parboil, poach, simmer, boilWords Related to stew scald; braise, fricassee, pressure-cook, smother, steam; reboil

2 to experience concern or anxiety stop stewing over that game and just try to do better next time Synonyms of stew bother, fear, fret, fuss, worry, stress, sweat, troubleWords Related to stew agonize; long, pine, yearn; chafe; despairNear Antonyms of stew accept; abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate