crazy quilt

1 of 2

noun

1

: a patchwork quilt without a design

2

: jumble, hodgepodge

a crazy quilt of regulations

crazy-quilt

2 of 2

adjective

cra·​zy-quilt ˈkrā-zē-ˈkwilt 

: resembling a crazy quilt : haphazard

a crazy-quilt system

Synonyms

Noun

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

Examples of crazy quilt in a Sentence

Noun

a crazy quilt of streets

an environmental issue that brought together a crazy quilt of people from all points on the political spectrum

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Jason Schmidt The Best New York Art Shows of 2024 Outsiders, Renaissance masterpieces, crazy quilts, and more. —Vulture Editors, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024

Spoonful, Woody Guthrie, and Eleanor Roosevelt – that just captured the whole crazy quilt of the Village arts and politics scene. —Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2024

Adjective

The media environment in the United States is a constantly shifting crazy-quilt landscape of authority, irresponsibility, partisanship, objectivity, heroism, corruption, and competition. —Oliver Darcy, CNN, 11 June 2024

But tucked within the chaotic capital’s crazy-quilt sprawl, there is a dreamlike haven where none of that exists. —Jody García Daniele Volpe, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1883, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

crazy quilt

noun

: a patchwork quilt without a regular design