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Meaning & use

gobbledygook

noun·Advancedinformaldisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˈɡɒbldiɡuːk/
US/ˈɡɑːbldiɡuːk/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meanings

  1. noununcountableinformaldisapproving

    Speech or writing that is so full of jargon or long words that it is hard to understand.

    Grammar: Uncountable: a lot of gobbledygook, not many gobbledygooks.

    Patterns

    • sound like gobbledygook
    • talk gobbledygook

    The insurance policy was pages of legal gobbledygook.

    I tried to read the manual, but it was gobbledygook to me.

    Her speech was bureaucratic gobbledygook.

  2. noununcountableinformal

    Any nonsense or meaningless talk.

    Grammar: Looser use, sometimes spelled gobbledegook.

    Patterns

    • be nothing but gobbledygook

    The email was complete gobbledygook, full of random symbols.

    He spoke gobbledygook to make the baby laugh.

    The translator returned gobbledygook instead of French.

Common combinations

legal gobbledygook
The contract was full of legal gobbledygook.
bureaucratic gobbledygook
The letter was bureaucratic gobbledygook.
pure gobbledygook
To most of us, the code looked like pure gobbledygook.
sound like gobbledygook
His explanation sounded like gobbledygook.
a load of gobbledygook
The brochure was a load of gobbledygook.

Synonyms and how they differ

jargon
Jargon is specialist vocabulary that is clear to insiders, while gobbledygook is confusing even to them.
gibberish
Gibberish is meaningless speech with no sense at all, whereas gobbledygook is usually official-sounding language.
double Dutch
Double Dutch is a British phrase for speech you cannot follow, and is a little more playful.
mumbo jumbo
Mumbo jumbo suggests confusing talk used to impress or mislead.

Opposites

plain Englishclear language

Word family

gobbledegook noun
an alternative spelling
gobble verb
to make a turkey sound or to eat fast

Commonly confused: gobbledygook or gobble?

gobbledygook vs gobble

Gobble means to eat quickly or to make a turkey sound. The word gobbledygook is thought to echo a turkey's noise.

Practice

The tax form was so full of ___ that I needed an accountant to explain it.

Make it your own

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