pell-mell

American  

[pel-mel] / ˈpɛlˈmɛl /

Or pellmell

adverb

1. in disorderly, headlong haste; in a recklessly hurried manner.

2. in a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, manner, etc..

   The crowd rushed pell-mell into the store when the doors opened.

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adjective

1. indiscriminate; disorderly; helter-skelter.

   a pell-mell dash after someone.

2. overhasty or precipitate; rash.

   pell-mell spending.

noun

1. a confused or jumbled mass, crowd, etc.

2. disorderly, headlong haste.

pell-mell British  

/ ˈpɛlˈmɛl /

adverb

1. in a confused headlong rush

   the hounds ran pell-mell into the yard

2. in a disorderly manner

   the things were piled pell-mell in the room

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adjective

1. disordered; tumultuous

   a pell-mell rush for the exit

noun

1. disorder; confusion

pell-mell Cultural  

1. In a confused, disorderly manner: “After the assembly, the students ran pell-mell from the auditorium.”

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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."

Example Sentences

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

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

But protruding in clumps pell-mell from her upper body are 23 extra heads, each with its own expression, peering this way and that.

From New York Times • Sep. 15, 2022

Releasing, pell-mell, video of people’s initial reactions to the shooting invites precisely the kind of arm-chair psychology social media loves.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2022

Then she was simply racing pell-mell down the steps in pursuit of the rat, with no room in her mind for anything else, certain she was gaining on it.

From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman