1
as in messy
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
a hugger-mugger presentation of the facts of the case that left everyone confused
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
a tale of hugger-mugger doings and international espionage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugger-mugger
Adjective
-
This subsequently brought her messy blond hair to the forefront, choppy bangs and all.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
26 Sep. 2025 -
The writer’s room need not be neat, could in fact be the one space of the house where things are supposed to be messy, to show a mind at work.—
Katie da Cunha Lewin
September 26,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There is a First World War U-boat that somehow glides from underneath Lake Michigan all the way to Croatia, commandeered by its captain, post-Armistice, for new and clandestine uses.—
Kathryn Schulz,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Co-created by The New York Times bestselling author Carr and season 1 creator and showrunner David DiGilio, Dark Wolf follows Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) on his journey from the SEALs to the clandestine side of CIA special operations.—
Susan Young,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg dropped a bombshell on Democrats last week, one lost in the chaotic news cycle following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Surveillance video obtained by Fox News shows the chaotic moments when ICE agents took cover and protected detainees as gunfire rained down on them from outside a Dallas facility Wednesday morning.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Brooke Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Outside undercover officers stopped a car with two brothers and their parents in it.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Then, on October 16 — a week ahead of the Vikings’ showdown with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football — star wide receiver Jefferson goes undercover as a nature photographer to get the inside scoop on the fast-growing sport of flag football.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Hays arranged a covert meeting with Fitzwater in the courthouse annex.—
Mitch Moxley,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
-
In the 1980s, The War on Drugs was in full swing, and the FBI was willing to try risky covert techniques to break up the cartels.—
Greg Hanlon,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Unitree claims that the G1 is made to handle difficult, filthy, and repetitive jobs in a variety of settings, including at homes, factories, and hospitals.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Josh O’Connor, at his filthy best, plays a disillusioned ’70s suburban dad married to Alana Haim and vaguely fathering a pair of pathologically chatty sons as the Vietnam War and its attendant protests color the world around them.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Middle Tennessee's erosion-prone limestone and other hard bedrock have historically precluded Nashville leadership from exploring underground transportation.—
Hadley Hitson,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Sep. 2025
-
But Edison’s bulb was just one piece of a much more complicated system that included an efficient dynamo – the powerful machine that generated electricity – plus a network of underground wires and new types of lamps.—
Ernest Freeberg,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Hugger-mugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugger-mugger. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share