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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pell-mell
Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
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, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
What could slow the pell-mell stock market advance of artificial intelligence?
—Larry Light, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 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
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
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
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
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
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, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
What could slow the pell-mell stock market advance of artificial intelligence?
—Larry Light, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pell-mell
Adjective
-
Then in the final seconds of the period, Merrimack turned the puck over in their own zone but Jack Galanek could not stuff his hurried shot home.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Pre-existing structures, supported by documentation and commercial logic, carry far more weight than hurried adjustments made after funds are already exposed.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The fan disappointment was echoed in the community dedicated to Barbie on Reddit, where many called out the organizers for such a chaotic event.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The footage captures a chaotic moment many pet owners recognize instantly—when curiosity tips over into trouble.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Two crew members have been recovered while another remains in Iran, with search-and-rescue teams frantically trying to find him.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The robot appears in the film at the info booth at the galactic weigh station as Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi frantically try to catch up with Peach.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Local media reported the bodies were transported in a government vehicle by unidentified individuals and buried hastily, with some gravediggers later alerting police.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The gate also has several holes and breaches that have been hastily repaired.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Little emphasized the need to ease property taxes in a letter accompanying his signature but criticized Moyle’s approach as rushed and overly complex.—
Mark Dee
March 25,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Mar. 2026
-
May 21 – June 20 Steady, thoughtful sentences are your friend — skip the rushed word vomit!—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The fact that the President is now signalling a messy retreat has nothing to do with insufficient lethality and everything to do with politics—in particular, the alarm in the global oil markets and the American public’s widespread opposition to the war.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Over beats as blunt, chromatic, and gleefully stupid as a Jeff Koons sculpture, the singer has vied to make hyperpop more garish and alarming by being hornier, messier, and more extreme than her peers.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
And while the legal penalties for the two are wildly different, the results behind the wheel are often just as dangerous.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Nashville broke a three-way traffic jam on Saturday via a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks and the Kings prevailed in a wildly unpredictable, and at times unprofessional, match against Toronto, 7-6 in overtime.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The hoax was so convincing that some media outlets initially reported it as genuine, prompting Adidas to hurriedly issue a clarification.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Local media reported that unidentified people brought the bodies from elsewhere in a vehicle belonging to the government and hurriedly buried them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pell-mell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pell-mell. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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