melting pot

4 synonyms for melting pot, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A place or society where people of many different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds live together and blend into something new.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

mosaic

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

cultural crossroads salad bowl crucible

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A place or society where people of many different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds live together and blend into something new.

“New York has always been a melting pot of languages and cuisines.”

cultural crossroads mosaic salad bowl

2. noun literal

A vessel used for melting metal or other solids.

“The scrap goes straight into the melting pot and comes out as ingots.”

crucible

How to use melting pot

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

a melting pot of cultures great melting pot ethnic melting pot in the melting pot

Neutral to positive in most writing, but treat it with care in discussions of assimilation.

Etymology

Popularized by the British author Israel Zangwill in his play The Melting Pot (1908).

Full origin of melting pot →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a melting pot and a salad bowl?

A melting pot suggests different cultures blending into one shared identity, with distinct traditions fading. A salad bowl, sometimes called a mosaic, suggests groups living together while keeping their separate identities intact.

Is calling a country a melting pot a compliment?

It usually praises diversity and openness, but some people object to it because it implies minority cultures should dissolve into the majority. Salad bowl or mosaic are often preferred for that reason.

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mosaic crucible

Nearby words

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