mixture
Americannoun
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mixtures
plural
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a product of mixing.
- Synonyms:
- compound, combination, blend
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any combination or blend of different elements, kinds, qualities, etc..
a mixture of good and bad traits.
- Synonyms:
- hodgepodge, potpourri, mélange, medley, jumble, miscellany, conglomeration
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Chemistry, Physics. an aggregate of two or more substances that are not chemically united and that exist in no fixed proportion to each other.
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a fabric woven of yarns combining various colors.
a heather mixture.
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an added element or ingredient; admixture.
noun
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the act of mixing or state of being mixed
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something mixed; a result of mixing
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chem a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together without any chemical bonding between them
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pharmacol a liquid medicine in which an insoluble compound is suspended in the liquid
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music an organ stop that controls several ranks of pipes sounding the upper notes in a harmonic series
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the mixture of petrol vapour and air in an internal-combustion engine
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mixture
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin mixtūra, from mixt(us) “mingled” (past participle of miscēre “to mingle”; see mixed) + -ūra -ure
Explanation
A mixture is, simply, the product of mixing. Sometimes, like in the case of ice cream with fudge, a mixture can turn out delicious. At other times, though, like with oil and water, a mixture just fails to jive. A mixture is a concoction of several parts combined. In chemistry, it describes a composition made up of two or more substances that can be separated. When it comes to textiles, mixture describes fabric that consists of various yarn or materials. Note the difference between mix and mixture, though. Elements in a mix retain their unique parts even though they have been thrown together. In a mixture, elements are blended in such a way that they forfeit their individuality.
Vocabulary lists containing mixture
Chemistry - Introductory
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Structure and Properties of Matter - Middle School
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Matter and Energy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Former Liverpool midfielder Alonso, who famously led Bayer Leverkusen to a historic, unbeaten domestic double in the 2023-24 season, appears to have strengthened well, with a mixture of exciting young talent and experienced older heads.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Gruel talks Kennedy through the mixture, offering the kind of loose, adaptable instruction home cooks have received from television chefs for decades.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
"We did that," she continued, but "what has happened is essentially a mixture of solar activity and gravity forces have put it on a path towards the Moon."
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Mr. Lee’s narrator is a Korean-American man named Jeon-Gi who recalls the summer he turned 11 with a complicated mixture of nostalgia and regret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Aunt March is a regular samphire, is she not?” observed Amy, tasting her mixture critically.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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The team decided to remove filling from previous restoration work, replacing it by mixtures of lime and sand that more closely resembled the original material used by Giotto.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Nearly 80% of edited embryos became mosaics, genetic mixtures of edited and unedited cells, a limitation needing resolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Net revenue increased 12% to $12.5 billion—mostly driven by strong sales of concentrates, the syrups and flavor mixtures Coca-Cola sells to its bottling partners—ahead of the $12.2 billion Wall Street had forecast.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Near this point, the system becomes highly unstable, and water rapidly shifts between the two liquid states or mixtures of them.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
The mortar men were ready with exact mixtures of sand, lime, and water.
From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.