1
as in hurried
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
when the theater doors opened, there was a pell-mell rush for the best seats
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chaotic
lacking in order, neatness, and often cleanliness
pell-mell piles of books everywhere in the professor's library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frantically
in a confused and reckless manner
tossed stuff pell-mell into the dorm room
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hastily
with excessive or careless speed
ran pell-mell down the road to get help
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pell-mell
Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Abe and Mary are part Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, part George and Martha, part the old vaudevillians George Burns and Gracie Allen, all running together pell-mell toward the Copacabana.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024
Its unreformed economy is in secular decline, while its pell-mell effort to modernize its armed forces and take strategic initiative has revived NATO, terrified Russia’s formerly pro-Russian neighbors, and put off much of the world.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2016
Administration officials don’t see this situation as similar to October 2022, when the intelligence community saw a significant possibility Putin might use tactical nuclear weapons to avert a collapse of Russia’s front lines in Ukraine and prevent a pell-mell retreat.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Ultimately, the more naturalistic second half — which has a realistic set with chairs and tables, delivered in a clunky black-out transition by intrusive stagehands — gets as sharp and loud as the pell-mell sounds-and-lights first half.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2024
Only a few of them stopped with remainder racing pell-mell through the intersection as approaching cars on Charles braked abruptly.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024
Ministry is not nearly as proficient as Chad Stahelski’s John Wick 4 or Matthias Schweighöfer’s Army of Thieves, but the pell-mell combat scenes are consistently cartoonish.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
America saw a pell-mell downsizing of gas-guzzling vehicles and a simultaneous ramping up of imports of fuel-efficient Japanese cars.
—Jim Krane, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023
Adverb
People ran pell-mell outside, sped away in cars with no clear destination, went to church, or just phoned the police or radio station to hyperventilate.
—Nicolas Rapold, airmail.news, 23 Nov. 2024
Abe and Mary are part Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, part George and Martha, part the old vaudevillians George Burns and Gracie Allen, all running together pell-mell toward the Copacabana.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 12 July 2024
Its unreformed economy is in secular decline, while its pell-mell effort to modernize its armed forces and take strategic initiative has revived NATO, terrified Russia’s formerly pro-Russian neighbors, and put off much of the world.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2016
Administration officials don’t see this situation as similar to October 2022, when the intelligence community saw a significant possibility Putin might use tactical nuclear weapons to avert a collapse of Russia’s front lines in Ukraine and prevent a pell-mell retreat.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Ultimately, the more naturalistic second half — which has a realistic set with chairs and tables, delivered in a clunky black-out transition by intrusive stagehands — gets as sharp and loud as the pell-mell sounds-and-lights first half.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2024
Only a few of them stopped with remainder racing pell-mell through the intersection as approaching cars on Charles braked abruptly.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2024
Ministry is not nearly as proficient as Chad Stahelski’s John Wick 4 or Matthias Schweighöfer’s Army of Thieves, but the pell-mell combat scenes are consistently cartoonish.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Apr. 2024
America saw a pell-mell downsizing of gas-guzzling vehicles and a simultaneous ramping up of imports of fuel-efficient Japanese cars.
—Jim Krane, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pell-mell
Adjective
-
Stride can be a little hurried/sway a fair amount in straight lines but great on cuts/edges.—
Scott Wheeler,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Overhead, a pair of firefighting helicopters circled in constant, hurried laps between the lake and the burning hillsides.—
Wally Skalij,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The week’s biggest stories A month after L.A. firestorms, essential questions still haunt Southern California The region is still grappling with basic questions about what caused the blazes, why evacuations were so chaotic and whether officials were prepared.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2025
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While the transfer was orderly – in contrast to chaotic scenes surrounding the release of Israeli and Thai hostages in Gaza last week – the three appeared thin and pale when they were led onto a makeshift stage.—
Sophie Tanno and Mick Krever,
CNN,
8 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
The Frenchman glided forward as players from both teams frantically rearranged themselves around him, then slowed up well short of the Brighton penalty area.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
-
Clouds of smoke could be seen coming from flames as crowds of onlookers frantically gathered around.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
8 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
In one case, a potluck luncheon among co-workers was hastily canceled for fear it would be seen as a way to promote cultural diversity.—
Erika Edwards,
NBC News,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The station had been hastily reopened in 2022 – with Vucic and Orban in attendance – ahead of an election held that year, before being closed for more works by a Chinese company and its subcontractors.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN,
2 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The trail from the bay leading to the preserve’s entrance is rough, rocky and messy.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
16 Feb. 2025
-
All of them fled Afghanistan with their families for Pakistan, sometime after the messy withdrawal of the U.S. military in 2021.—
Belinda Luscombe,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
The idea — not uncontroversial but still wildly popular over a century later — is that differing combinations of responses can be wrangled into conclusions about the psyches of those who sit the test.—
Jack Lang,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
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The proof theatrically is that the production is a rapt and riotous collective with a long list credits all seemingly on the same wildly unpredictable page.—
Mark Swed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That a hedge fund can revolutionize the AI world seemingly overnight highlights the importance of assuring the headlong rush forward includes behavioral expectations and guardrails.—
Tom Wheeler,
TIME,
30 Jan. 2025
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The issue is whether the briskly growing services sector and headlong AI-investment buildout can bolster aggregate growth rates in a way that doesn’t bring additional stress on the housing and goods-producing sectors.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
11 Jan. 2025
Adverb
-
All of it wild-caught.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
orlandosentinel.com,
14 Aug. 2020
-
Our first stop is in a wild-looking stretch 200 yards south of the railroad tracks and State Street.—
Paul A. Smith,
Journal Sentinel,
2 Jan. 2023
Thesaurus Entries Near pell-mell
Cite this Entry
“Pell-mell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pell-mell. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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