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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hugger-mugger
  1. messy
  2. clandestine
  3. chaotic
  4. undercover
  5. sloppy
  6. covert
  7. littered
  8. underground
Adjective
  • Entrepreneurship or a portfolio of roles feels messier than earning a regular salary because the risk is more visible.
    — Henrik Totterman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Many real texts from family members are short, rushed and a little messy.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of messy
Adjective
  • That was a concern because other research has indicated the Chinese government has, at times, delayed public disclosure of vulnerabilities submitted to the program so they could later be used in clandestine cyberattacks.
    — Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The screening usually focusses on clandestine hanky-panky, but this season the girls’ irreverence was so abundant that the producers treated them to an unprecedented second viewing night.
    — Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Interview with the Vampire’s composer Daniel Hart has taken the audience on a wonderfully chaotic journey through different styles of music in The Vampire Lestat.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • The events surrounding the funeral were chaotic, with eight people killed and hundreds injured, according to a report written by the Associated Press news agency at the time.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of chaotic
Adjective
  • Duties include developing operation plans and going undercover.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • In exchange, one of the agents asked Lumumba to move the city’s deadline for the hotel project from April 30 to April 10 or 15, giving the undercover FBI agents an advantage over other developers.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • Lime clasts are tiny white chunks of limestone that were previously mistaken for evidence of sloppy mixing.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
  • The Americans played sloppy and ugly soccer in the first half, and Belgium overwhelmed the home side.
    — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of sloppy
Adjective
  • To achieve this, Israel employed airstrikes, cyberattacks, interdictions of weapons and covert action to impede Iran’s ability to resupply Hezbollah’s existing arsenal and supply it with more advanced weapons.
    — Amy McAuliffe, The Conversation, 26 June 2026
  • After 1996, when the protease inhibitors were developed, the duty to warn continued to be an important standard when HIV status became more clinically covert.
    — M. Sara Rosenthal, STAT, 25 June 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
  • These efforts are intended to validate the unique aspects of its underground deployment strategy before commercial operation.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
  • The engraving was found at an underground Mithras temple at Zerzevan Castle, a Turkish fortification roughly 40 miles north of the Syrian border.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 6 July 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
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Cite this Entry

“Hugger-mugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hugger-mugger. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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