Standard Lemma guide

mishmash

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɪʃˌmæʃ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æʃ
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH1 SH M AE2 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A collection containing a variety of miscellaneous things.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bouillabaisse, bric-a-brac, catch-all, clamjamfrey, cocktail, rummage, salad, anthology, gallery, congeries, crazyquilt, disjecta membra, farrago, galimatias, gallimaufry, grab bag, hodgepodge, horse and rabbit stew, hotchpotch, hotchpot, job lot, jumble, macedoine, medley, melange, mingle-mangle, miscellanea, miscellany, mishmash, mixed bag, mixture, motley, odds and ends, oddments, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, pastiche, patchwork quilt, potpourri, ragbag, salmagundi, slurry, smorgasbord, welter, Whitman's sampler

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To mix together, especially in a confused way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To become mixed together.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a motley assortment of things

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: odds and ends, oddments, melange, farrago, ragbag, mingle-mangle, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, gallimaufry, omnium-gatherum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: assortment, mixture, mixed bag, miscellany, miscellanea, variety, salmagundi, smorgasbord, potpourri, motley

History

Etymology

Attested since the late 15th century, Middle English mysse masche, probably a reduplication of mash, although a Yiddish origin or influence has also been suggested. Cognates include Saterland Frisian Miskmask and German Mischmasch.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: миш-маш (miš-maš) — a collection of miscellany
  • Catalan: poti-poti — a collection of miscellany
  • Catalan: farrigo-farrago — a collection of miscellany
  • Czech: mišmaš — a collection of miscellany
  • Czech: všehochuť — a collection of miscellany
  • Dutch: mikmak — a collection of miscellany
  • Dutch: allegaartje — a collection of miscellany
  • Finnish: sekamelska — a collection of miscellany
  • French: méli-mélo — a collection of miscellany
  • French: mélimélo — a collection of miscellany
  • French: fatras — a collection of miscellany
  • French: fouillis — a collection of miscellany
  • Galician: maravalla — a collection of miscellany
  • Galician: miscelánea — a collection of miscellany
  • German: Mischmasch — a collection of miscellany
  • Hebrew: מִישְׁמָשׁ (míshmash) — a collection of miscellany
  • Hungarian: mismás — a collection of miscellany
  • Indonesian: rojak — a collection of miscellany
  • Irish: meascán — a collection of miscellany
  • Latin: farrāgō — a collection of miscellany
  • Limburgish: misjmasj — a collection of miscellany
  • Malay: rojak — a collection of miscellany
  • Plautdietsch: Mischmausch — a collection of miscellany
  • Plautdietsch: Wirwoa — a collection of miscellany
  • Polish: miszmasz — a collection of miscellany
  • Portuguese: confusão — a collection of miscellany
  • Portuguese: mixórdia — a collection of miscellany
  • Portuguese: mistifório — a collection of miscellany
  • Romanian: adunătură — a collection of miscellany
  • Russian: вся́кая вся́чина (vsjákaja vsjáčina) — a collection of miscellany
  • Spanish: amasijo — a collection of miscellany
  • Spanish: fárrago — a collection of miscellany
  • Spanish: mescolanza — a collection of miscellany
  • Spanish: mezcolanza — a collection of miscellany
  • Swedish: mischmasch — a collection of miscellany
  • Welsh: cymysgwch — a collection of miscellany
  • Yiddish: מיש־⁠מאַש — a collection of miscellany