mare's nest

noun

plural mare's nests or mares' nests

1

: a false discovery, illusion, or deliberate hoax

2

: a place, condition, or situation of great disorder or confusion

a mare's nest of intrigue and troubles with the money men

—William Cole

Synonyms

• chance-medley
• chaos
• confusion
• disarrangement
• disarray
• dishevelment
• disorder
• disorderedness
• disorderliness
• disorganization
• free-for-all
• havoc
• heck
• hell
• jumble
• mess
• messiness
• misorder
• muddle
• muss
• shambles
• snake pit
• tumble
• welter

Examples of mare's nest in a Sentence

the lack of planning had resulted in the city's evacuation being a mare's nest of epic proportions

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1