medley

1 of 2

noun

med·​ley ˈmed-lē 

plural medleys

1

: a musical composition made up of a series of songs or short pieces

a medley of show tunes

2

: a diverse assortment or mixture

especially : hodgepodge

a medley of sounds

a medley of desserts

was arrested on a medley of charges

3

archaic : melee

medley

2 of 2

adjective

: mixed, motley

Synonyms

Noun

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• 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 medley in a Sentence

Noun

a medley of show tunes

a medley of snack foods available on the buffet table

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The 3x Golden Globe nominee channeled Gerard Way in the sketch ‘Goth Kid on Vacation’, which parodied the ’06 single ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ with a Jamaican reggae medley featuring Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2025

The show also includes a medley of favorite BTS songs, including MIC Drop, Trivia: Just Dance, Silver Spoon and Ego. —Mackenzie Schmidt, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025

Adjective

The medley eve translated the viral campiness of her Short n’ Sweet tour, with a mini-house onstage. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025

Halle Berry, who starred in 2002's Die Another Day, introduced the medley, first by talking about legacy Bond franchise producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which was given out previously at the Governors Awards. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English medle, from Anglo-French medlee, from feminine of medlé, past participle of medler to mix — more at meddle

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing medley

• chance-medley
• individual medley
• medley relay

Rhymes for medley

• deadly

Kids Definition

medley

noun

med·​ley

ˈmed-lē

plural medleys

1

: mixture sense 2

especially : a confused mixture

2

: a musical composition made up of a series of songs or short musical pieces