mixed bag

American  

noun

Informal.

1. an often unexpected assortment of various things, people, or ideas.

   The concert was a mixed bag of works from three centuries.

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mixed bag British  

noun

1. informal something composed of diverse elements, characteristics, people, etc

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mixed bag Idioms  

1. A heterogeneous collection of people, items, activities, or the like; an assortment. For example, The school offers a mixed bag of after-school activities—team sports, band practice, a language class. This idiom calls up the image of a sack full of different items. [First half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of mixed bag

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

For producers, the situation is a mixed bag.

From Barron's

So 2025 was a mixed bag in terms of fighting for our future, but it’s far from over.

From Salon

Since July 2025 when they were introduced, it has been a mixed bag.

From BBC

The economy is a mixed bag, with a weakening job market and an inflation rate that has eased but remains above where the Federal Reserve would like.

From The Wall Street Journal

The slump seemed to hinge on an economic data dump that proved a mixed bag, at best.

From Barron's