jumble

1. noun

a jumble of books and toys

Syn:

untidy heap, clutter, muddle, mess, confusion, disarray, tangle, imbroglio; hodgepodge, mishmash, miscellany, motley collection, mixed bag, medley, jambalaya, farrago, gallimaufry

2. verb

the photographs are all jumbled up

Syn:

mix up, muddle up, disarrange, disorganize, disorder, put in disarray

••

jumble, confusion, conglomeration, disarray, farrago, hodgepodge, mélange, muddle

Confusion is a very broad term, applying to any indiscriminate mixing or mingling that makes it difficult to distinguish individual elements or parts (a confusion of languages). The typical teenager's bedroom is usually a jumble of books, papers, clothing, CDs, and soda cans — the word suggests physical disorder and a mixture of dissimilar things. If the disorder exists on a figurative level, it is usually called a hodgepodge (a hodgepodge of ideas, opinions, and quotations, with a few facts thrown in for good measure). Conglomeration refers to a collection of dissimilar things, but with a suggestion that the collection is random or inappropriate (a conglomeration of decorating styles). A mélange can be a mixture of foods (add peppers or zucchini to the mélange), but it can also be used in a derogatory way (an error-filled mélange of pseudoscience, religion, and fanciful ideas). A farrago is an irrational or confused mixture of elements and is usually worse than a conglomeration (a farrago of doubts, fears, hopes, and desires), while a muddle is less serious and suggests confused thinking and lack of organization (their bank records were in a complete muddle). Disarray implies disarrangement and is most appropriately used when order or discipline has been lost (his unexpected appearance threw the meeting into disarray).