1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a hugger-mugger presentation of the facts of the case that left everyone confused
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
a tale of hugger-mugger doings and international espionage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugger-mugger
Adjective
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Plus, Sherman-Palladino and Palladino were amenable to her perspective on Geneviève, an overburdened, passionate woman with a messy personal life.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025 -
The answer turned out to be an inversion of sorts — Kate ended up with a lot of comics Clint’s beats, including Lucky, the Pizza Dog, the messy apartment, and the fun trick arrows.—
Nola Pfau,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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After authorities responded with mass arrests, weavers formed clandestine committees and took secret oaths.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
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Til Schweiger plays a sardonic whale-tourism boat captain (and former elite military operative, obviously) who gets roped into taking down a clandestine organization that’s building the perfect super-soldier through genetic experiments.—
Jordan Crucchiola,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Monday's event was the latest congressional town hall to get chaotic.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2025
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As a governance matter, some investors complained that the pivots are too chaotic.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Former Attorney General Merrick Garland said in October that the Justice Department foiled the plot as the men bought the rifles from an undercover FBI employee.—
Krystal Nurse,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Kasie discovers that the Poet used jeweler Gemma Wood (Michelle Lukes) as a go-between to broker deals with anonymous clients, so Torres goes undercover as the man himself since news of his death hasn't left NCIS HQ.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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After the unexpected death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running the covert process of choosing a new leader.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Those documents gave curious readers more details about Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations, but did not initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK.—
Josh Funk and Haya Panjwani,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Aurangzeb imprisoned his ailing father in 1658 and defeated his brother the year after, before forcibly parading him in chains on a filthy elephant on the streets of Delhi.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
18 Apr. 2025
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The network has ordered Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, which will see the celebrity chef go undercover to rescue America’s filthiest restaurants.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Disco first emerged in underground Black, Latino and gay clubs where people created their own version of dance music.—
Alice George,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Apr. 2025
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This week, Lawrence Burney steps in to talk about how a part of Baltimore lingo is entering the wider underground rap lexicon through artists from the Mid-Atlantic.—
Lawrence Burney,
Pitchfork,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In 2022, a consortium of private retirement-plan providers announced a collaboration to boost the portability of small retirement accounts.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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What is the best way to stay private, secure and anonymous while browsing the web?—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
19 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hugger-mugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugger-mugger. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
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