pell-mell
Americanadverb
-
in disorderly, headlong haste; in a recklessly hurried manner.
-
in a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, manner, etc..
The crowd rushed pell-mell into the store when the doors opened.
adjective
-
indiscriminate; disorderly; helter-skelter.
a pell-mell dash after someone.
-
overhasty or precipitate; rash.
pell-mell spending.
noun
-
a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, etc.
-
disorderly, headlong haste.
adverb
-
in a confused headlong rush
the hounds ran pell-mell into the yard
-
in a disorderly manner
the things were piled pell-mell in the room
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of pell-mell
First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French pelemele, Old French pesle mesle, rhyming compound based on mesler “to mix”; see meddle
Explanation
When things are messy, wacky, crazy, and all over the place, they are pell-mell — chaotic. If your room is a mess, with clothes everywhere, it's pell-mell. If people are running in every direction and yelling, that's a pell-mell situation. Whenever things are out of hand, off the hook, and chaotic, it's pell-mell. Words with a similar structure and meaning are "higgledy-piggledy," "harum-scarum," and "helter-skelter."
Vocabulary lists containing pell-mell
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
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Nothing But the Truth
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Crime and Punishment
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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.
The court as a whole and the two concurrences hurtle pell-mell toward making it virtually impossible for plaintiffs like Mexico to successfully plead their claims.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025
It was pell-mell outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on West 45th Street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
Projects include programming robots to take care of some of the routine aspects of nursing and providing extra training to nurses before they are thrown into the pell-mell of the hospital floor or busy clinic.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2022
The pell-mell plotting of “Interceptor” recalls the Onion parody interview with the excitable, 5-year-old screenwriter of “Fast Five.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2022
He knew he slept with one ear cocked for the pell-mell thud of feet overhead, and the cry, “All hands on deck!”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
