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Muddle vs Mingle - What's the difference?

muddle | mingle |

As verbs the difference between muddle and mingle

is that muddle is to mix together, to mix up; to confuse while mingle is to mix; intermix; to combine or join, as an individual or part, with other parts, but commonly so as to be distinguishable in the product; to confuse; to confound.

As nouns the difference between muddle and mingle

is that muddle is a mixture; a confusion; a garble while mingle is (obsolete) a mixture.

muddle

English

Verb

(muddl)
  • To mix together, to mix up; to confuse.
  • Young children tend to muddle their words.
  • To mash slightly for use in a cocktail.
  • He muddled the mint sprigs in the bottom of the glass.
  • To dabble in mud.
  • (Jonathan Swift)
  • To make turbid or muddy.
  • * L'Estrange
  • He did ill to muddle the water.
  • To think and act in a confused, aimless way.
  • To cloud or stupefy; to render stupid with liquor; to intoxicate partially.
  • * Bentley
  • Their old master Epicurus seems to have had his brains so muddled and confounded with them, that he scarce ever kept in the right way.
  • * Arbuthnot
  • often drunk, always muddled
  • To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated.
  • * Hazlitt
  • They muddle it [money] away without method or object, and without having anything to show for it.

    Derived terms

    * muddler (agent noun) * muddle along * muddle through * muddle up

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A mixture; a confusion; a garble.
  • The muddle of nervous speech he uttered did not have much meaning.

    Derived terms

    * muddle-headed

    mingle

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Verb

    (mingl)
  • To mix; intermix; to combine or join, as an individual or part, with other parts, but commonly so as to be distinguishable in the product; to confuse; to confound.
  • * Bible, Exodus ix. 24
  • There was fire mingled with the hail.
    Across the city yesterday, there was a feeling of bittersweet reunion as streams of humanity converged and mingled at dozens of memorial services. New York Times
  • To associate or unite in society or by ties of relationship; to cause or allow to intermarry; to intermarry.
  • * Bible, Ezra ix. 2
  • The holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands.
  • To deprive of purity by mixture; to contaminate.
  • * Henry Rogers
  • a mingled , imperfect virtue
  • (obsolete) To put together; to join.
  • (Shakespeare)
  • To make or prepare by mixing the ingredients of.
  • * (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
  • [He] proceeded to mingle another draught.
  • To become mixed or blended.
  • Derived terms

    * commingle

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A mixture.