mixed

English

Alternative forms

• mixt (obsolete, Latinate spelling)

Etymology

From mix, equivalent to mix +‎ -ed. Compare Middle English mixid (“mixed”, past participle), Old English miscode (“mixed”, preterite). More at mix.

In adjectival use, reinforced by French mixte and/or Latin mixtus, past participle of misceō (“mix”), from the same Indo-European root as mix.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɪkst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkst

Verb

mixed

1. simple past and past participle of mix

Adjective

mixed (comparative more mixed, superlative most mixed)

1. Having two or more separate aspects.

   I get a very mixed feeling from this puzzling painting.

   The various studies produced mixed results.

2. Not completely pure, tainted or adulterated.

   My joy was somewhat mixed when my partner said she was pregnant: it's a lot of responsibility.

3. Including both male(s) and female(s).
   • 1983 April 9, The Sustainer Committee, “Sustain GCN”, in Gay Community News, page 5:

     We were the first paper to involve large numbers of gay men and lesbians: today, we remain the only truly mixed periodical in our community.

   The tennis match was mixed, with a boy and a girl on each side.

   My son attends a mixed school, my daughter an all-girl grammar school.

4. Stemming from two or more races or breeds (most commonly used to describe an offspring of one white parent and one black parent).

   The benefit dog show has both mixed and single-breed competitions.

   Mixed blood can surprisingly produce inherited properties which neither parent showed

5. Polarizing; including both positive and negative feedback.

   The movie has received mixed reviews from movie critics.

Synonyms

• (having two or more separate aspects): heterogeneous (See also Thesaurus:heterogeneous); (feelings) ambivalent, conflicted, equivocal
• (not pure): impure
• (including both males and females): co-ed, unsegregated
• (stemming from two or more races or breeds): hybrid, mongrel

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "having two or more separate aspects"): homogeneous, unmixed; See also Thesaurus:homogeneous
• (antonym(s) of "not pure"): pure
• (antonym(s) of "including both males and females"): single-sex
• (antonym(s) of "stemming from two or more races or breeds"): pedigree, pure, pureblooded, purebred

Derived terms

Related terms

• mixer
• mixture

Descendants

• → Russian: микст (mikst)

Translations

Anagrams

• demix