alphabet soup

noun

: a hodgepodge especially of initials (as of the names of organizations)

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

Examples of alphabet soup in a Sentence

a bowl of alphabet soup

the alphabet soup of designer drugs that were available to patrons of the once-notorious disco

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather than devoting resources to strengthening existing institutions such as the OAS, leaders throughout the Americas have cooked up an alphabet soup of regional organizations. —Ryan C. Berg, Foreign Affairs, 6 Oct. 2021

The television industry invites jargon like few others, an alphabet soup of specs and techs. —Brian Barrett, WIRED, 10 Jan. 2018

The union is often derided for its confusing alphabet soup of acronyms and overlapping foreign policy institutions. —Kathleen R. McNamara, Foreign Affairs, 4 Mar. 2014

The Gear, Explained First of all, what is all this alphabet soup? —John Werner, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above