Gobbledygook

//ˈɡɒb(ə)ldɪˌɡuːk// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Nonsense; meaningless or encrypted language. informal, uncountable, usually
  2. 2
    incomprehensible or pompous jargon of specialists wordnet
  3. 3
    Something written in an overly complex, incoherent, or incomprehensible manner. informal, uncountable, usually

Synonyms

All synonyms
absurdityaesopian languageamphigoryargotbabblebabblement

Example

More examples

"I don't understand this gobbledygook."

Etymology

First attested in a memo by US Representative (Texas) Maury Maverick dated March 30, 1944, banning "gobbledygook language". Apparently coined in imitation of the sounds made by a turkey.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.