ado

noun

ə-ˈdü 

1

: heightened fuss or concern : to-do

much ado about the need for reform

2

: time-wasting bother over trivial details

wrote the paper without further ado

3

: trouble, difficulty

The journey itself is not described; our heroes disembark without ado at Philadelphia.

—Anthony Lane

Synonyms

• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of ado in a Sentence

a bride-to-be caught up in the usual prenuptial ado

Recent Examples on the Web

Ted Siegler Cambria Iowa Caucus proves not to be conclusive All the coverage of the Iowa Caucus was much ado about nothing. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024

Jimmy Conner Tavares Focus on real issues, not Haley’s slavery remark There has been too much ado regarding Nikki Haley’s omitting slavery as the cause of the Civil War. —Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024

So perhaps this was much ado about nothing… or at least, an interesting exercise in blowing news out of proportion? —Michael Schneider, Variety, 9 Nov. 2023

On TikTok and other digital platforms, there has lately been much ado about people who own a great number of books and — this is critical — have managed to stage them in a pleasing manner. —Madison Malone Kircher, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2024

For instance, last spring the Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, opened its doors to much happy ado. —Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2024

So without any further ado, here is the conversation with Mark Newman of Chemours. —Fortune Editors, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2023

There’s much ado about ‘nepo babies’ at the moment, and Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham can’t seem to escape it. —Lela London, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023

What to know about the report on Boris Johnson’s most damaging scandal yet Johnson has his defenders — who say this is much ado about nothing and support his eventual comeback — but many members of his own party now think his time in electoral politics is over. —William Booth, Washington Post, 15 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, reduced from the infinitive phrase at do, from at "to, at entry 1" + do, don "to do entry 1"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ado

• without further ado

Kids Definition

ado

noun

ə-ˈdü 

: fuss entry 1 sense 1, trouble

much ado about nothing