HUGGER-MUGGER Synonyms: 177 Similar and Opposite Words

hugger-mugger

adjective

Definition of hugger-mugger

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

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

Emmet Fraizer investigates the uncertain future (and messy recent past) of the beloved science publication.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
The request was the latest salvo in the messy war where Ghost is suing Wilson for defamation, and Wilson is pursuing counterclaims against the producers for alleged bullying, intimidation, and breach of contract.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of messy

Adjective

The arrest, the official explained, came after the Attorney General’s Office concluded that there had been misconduct in an April operation in which state officials dismantled a clandestine drug-manufacturing laboratory.

— Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Bridgers’ tour restricts phones, so the reader’s account had to stand in for the clandestine photo that might otherwise have accompanied the sighting.

— Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of clandestine

Adjective

The tightness of White’s control over his arrangements can occasionally foreclose the sense of chaotic freedom inherent to his more collaborative efforts.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Now that Texas Tech has also suffered a conference loss, we are headed towards a wild final week of October, which will lead to a chaotic month of November as teams fight for a spot in the college football playoff.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of chaotic

Adjective

An unverified Snapchat message, which students in France claim was written by an undercover police officer, has become the slogan of student protests.

— Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
From that moment on, Liang went all-in on becoming the beloved fighter, putting herself through an intense physical transformation to embody the undercover Interpol agent.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of undercover

Adjective

Utah's most successful drive ended at the halftime break when Dillon Curtis missed a 34-yard field goalie to a sloppy snap-and-hold.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
And the need to blend all the sound together right before the ear canal can make the more complex instrumentation sound more sloppy than precise.

— Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of sloppy

Adjective

But how and through whom the money flowed into the Alpha account revealed that it was intended to remain secret, more akin to a covert and illicit scheme, given that it was managed in part by a senior advisor to the president of the United States.

— Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
Even in scenes outside Sonny’s perspective, Ellen still looks like not-quite-Connie Britton, fielding suspicious phone calls and making covert trips to the bank.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of covert

Adjective

In the past, her songs were so littered with personal details that listening felt voyeuristic.

— Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 2026
The series does not touch on the tabloid attention that followed the Beckhams in 2004, when it was alleged that David had an affair with his personal assistant, Rebecca Loos, and the many further accusations of cheating that littered gossip columns after.

— Scarlett Harris, Time, 9 Oct. 2025

Definition of littered

Adjective

The Finnish Government has granted Posiva Oy an operating license for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Part of what a racist superstructure creates is the need for some kind of underground economy.

— Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of underground

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.

Browse Nearby Words

hugged

hugger-mugger

hugging

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hugger-mugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugger-mugger. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hugger-mugger

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

wraith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes