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Meaning & use

mumbo-jumbo

noun·Everydayinformaldisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˌmʌmbəʊ ˈdʒʌmbəʊ/
US/ˌmʌmboʊ ˈdʒʌmboʊ/
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

    Language that sounds important or technical but is confusing and means very little.

    Grammar: Has no plural or article: it is just mumbo-jumbo.

    Patterns

    • a load of mumbo-jumbo
    • legal mumbo-jumbo

    The contract was full of legal mumbo-jumbo that nobody understood.

    I stopped listening to the salesman's technical mumbo-jumbo.

    She said the explanation was just corporate mumbo-jumbo.

  2. noununcountabledisapproving

    Beliefs or rituals that seem silly, superstitious or meaningless.

    Grammar: Often used to dismiss other people's beliefs or practices.

    Patterns

    • superstitious mumbo-jumbo

    He dismissed the healer's rituals as mumbo-jumbo.

    Some people call astrology mumbo-jumbo.

Common combinations

legal mumbo-jumbo
The letter was filled with legal mumbo-jumbo.
technical mumbo-jumbo
He confused us with technical mumbo-jumbo.
a load of mumbo-jumbo
The advert was a load of mumbo-jumbo.
pure mumbo-jumbo
To the audience, the lecture was pure mumbo-jumbo.
scientific mumbo-jumbo
The label used scientific mumbo-jumbo to sell the cream.

Synonyms and how they differ

gobbledygook
Gobbledygook is very close, but it especially means unclear official language.
jargon
Jargon is specialized vocabulary that may be meaningful to insiders, while mumbo-jumbo is meaningless or deliberately confusing.
gibberish
Gibberish is simply nonsense words, whereas mumbo-jumbo often sounds technical or ritual.
hocus-pocus
Hocus-pocus implies trickery or fake magic, while mumbo-jumbo stresses confusing talk.

Opposites

plain Englishsense

Word family

mumbo jumbo noun
an alternative spelling without a hyphen
mumble verb
to speak in a low, unclear voice
jumble noun
a confused mixture

Commonly confused: mumbo-jumbo or gobbledygook?

mumbo-jumbo vs gobbledygook

Gobbledygook is usually official or bureaucratic language that is hard to follow, while mumbo-jumbo can also refer to rituals.

Practice

What does the speaker mean: 'The manual is full of technical mumbo-jumbo'?

Make it your own

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