pell-mell

Meaning

Adj

Hasty and uncontrolled.

Adv

In haste and chaos; uncontrolledly, confusedly.

Noun

Alternative form of pall mall (“ball game”)

Synonyms

topsy-turvy

disorderly

helter-skelter

confused

😕

medley

harum-scarum

complicated

confusedly

confusing

confusion

disorganised

feverish

frenetically

fuzzy

groggy

hectic

hurriedly

incoherent

in confusion

junk

mess

messy

miscellaneous

mixed

muddle

orgiastic

perplexed

quickly

rush

semiconscious

silly

tangled

unbitted

woolly

slam-bang

in great disorder

addled

noncontrolled

amuck

at random

befuddled

bustling

busy

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɛlˈmɛl/

Etymology

From French pêle-mêle, from Old French pesle-mesle, apparently a rhyme based on the stem of mesler (“to mix, meddle”). Compare meddle, melee.