mishmash

noun

mish·​mash ˈmish-ˌmash How to pronounce mishmash (audio)
-ˌmäsh

Examples of mishmash in a Sentence

the painting was just a mishmash of colors and abstract shapes as far as we could tell
Recent Examples on the Web Expect others to resort to a mishmash of ad hoc solutions, policy experts say. Brian Fung, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024 The World's End is one of Edgar Wright's more successful mishmashes of various film genres, this time being a sci-fi horror comedy about friends who go on a pub crawl only to discover that much of the population has been replaced by androids. Janey Tracey and Kevin Jacobsen, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2023 Some residents identified the man who made butter chicken in Peshawar as Kundan Lal Singh – a mishmash of the names. Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 The islands that poke out of the ocean in the South Sandwich Islands have a mishmash of names that reflect the variety of people who discovered them. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2023 Much of the land in the surrounding area is a mishmash of one family neighborhoods and industrial sites. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2024 Despite the mishmash of returnees and newcomers, center Dylan Cardwell says this Auburn team has developed a chemistry and closeness. John Zenor, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2024 Arid terrain gave way to steep sandstone cliffs that towered above lush greenery and spiny cacti, an intriguing mishmash of environments. Robert Annis, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2023 The styling choice of it all can only be described as very Gen Z—a deliberate mishmash of items that’s a little bit ironic, a little bit cool, and a whole lot of look. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mishmash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English & Yiddish; Middle English mysse masche, perhaps reduplication of mash mash; Yiddish mish-mash, perhaps reduplication of mishn to mix

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mishmash was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mishmash

Cite this Entry

“Mishmash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mishmash. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

mishmash

noun
mish·​mash ˈmish-ˌmash How to pronounce mishmash (audio)
-ˌmäsh
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!