hugger-mugger

adjective

Definition of hugger-muggernext
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

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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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugger-mugger
  1. messy
  2. clandestine
  3. chaotic
  4. undercover
  5. covert
  6. filthy
  7. underground
  8. private
Adjective
  • Think: Date nights, birthdays, team outings — anyone looking for a creative outlet who doesn't mind getting a little messy.
    McKenzie Rankin, Axios, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Entanglement gets messy To probe the inner structure of protons, scientists looked at high-energy particle collisions that have occurred in facilities like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, continued carrying its clandestine satellites to orbit.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 10 Jan. 2025
  • That looks set to continue with a new play from the veteran dramatist Howard Brenton set in 1942 and telling of a clandestine meeting at the Kremlin between Churchill and Stalin.
    Matt Wolf, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Republican lawmakers called the chaotic exit one of the darkest moments of Biden's administration.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Streets pulse with music, laughter, and a packed calendar of events, creating an electric atmosphere that draws both locals and visitors into one joyous and chaotic rhythm.
    Joyce Onuorah, Essence, 14 Jan. 2025
Definition of chaotic
Adjective
  • Reacher dives deep into an undercover ring by securing a job inside the operation though the stakes are high as he’s seen ducking from gunfire, explosions and no shortage of bad guys.
    Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Jan. 2025
  • During the prosecution’s case, jurors saw floods of emails, undercover videos and wiretapped phone calls in which McClain and ComEd executives discuss hiring Madigan associates, including precinct captains Edward Moody and Ray Nice, former 13th Ward Ald.
    Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2025
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • For many Black southerners, the end of Jim Crow marked the beginning of covert discrimination—systems that, on their surface, signaled progress but kept discriminatory power dynamics in place.
    Essence, Essence, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Read: What Europe fears The Eagle S, however, apparently had a covert military purpose as well: Investigators discovered that the vessel was crammed full of advanced surveillance equipment, which used so much power that the ship suffered from periodic blackouts.
    Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • In the earlier seasons of the show, characters were often filthy, caked with dirt and blood, clothes tattered.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
  • My father was living alone in that dark, filthy room like an old animal wallowing in its own excrement.
    Lee Chang-dong, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of filthy
Adjective
  • Between the five culinary offerings, including an underground fondue cave called La Fromagerie, two bars, clay tennis courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a nearly 6,000 square-foot indoor and outdoor spa, there is really no reason to leave the property.
    Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
  • Headlining Rolling Loud California 2025 By Matthew Strauss As a member of New York’s underground hip-hop scene, Wolfacejoeyy has brought pride to the Staten Island scene with projects like 22Joeyy and Valentino.
    Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 10 Jan. 2025
Definition of underground
Adjective
  • One daddy gone, another come—Hoover makes a fable about the private and cyclical dangers of a certain kind of New England family.
    Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
  • These fleeting possible exceptions aside, Underwood has kept her views on politics and virtually all hot-button issues private.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
Definition of private
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near hugger-mugger

hugged

hugger-mugger

hugging

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Cite this Entry

“Hugger-mugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugger-mugger. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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