What does "jungle" mean?
A large, undeveloped, humid forest, especially in a tropical region, that is home to many wild plants and animals; a tropical rainforest.
Jungle
/ˈd͡ʒʌŋ.ɡ(ə)l/ adj, noun, slang
adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large, undeveloped, humid forest, especially in a tropical region, that is home to many wild plants and animals; a tropical rainforest.
- Grammar: jungle is listed as adj, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: afforestation, arboretum, boondocks, bush.
- Useful contrasts: clarity, desert, order.
- Usage evidence: We will get through the jungle somehow.
How to use "jungle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "jungle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "jungle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "jungle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "jungle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "jungle" is acting as adj, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "afforestation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "jungle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large, undeveloped, humid forest, especially in a tropical region, that is home to many wild plants and animals; a tropical rainforest. countable, uncountable
"As Tarzan walked down the wild cañon beneath the brilliant African moon the call of the jungle was strong upon him. The solitude and the savage freedom filled his heart with life and buoyancy. Again he was Tarzan of the Apes—every sense alert against the chance of surprise by some jungle enemy—yet treading lightly and with head erect, in proud consciousness of his might."
- 2 an impenetrable equatorial forest wordnet
- 3 Any uncultivated tract of forest or scrub habitat. South-Asia, countable, uncountable
- 4 a place where hoboes camp wordnet
- 5 A place where people behave ruthlessly, unconstrained by law or morality. colloquial, countable, uncountable
"It’s a jungle out there."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival wordnet
- 7 A tangled mess. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"[…] lost in such a jungle of intrigues, pettifoggings, treacheries, diplomacies domestic and foreign […]"
- 8 An area where hobos camp together. countable, slang, uncountable
- 9 A style of electronic dance music and precursor of drum and bass. uncountable
"Always more multiracial than other post-Rave scenes, Hardcore got “blacker” as hiphop, Ragga, dub and Soul influences kicked in, and by 93 it had evolved into Jungle. By this point, Hardcore/Jungle (the terms remain interchangeable) was universally scorned by dance hipsters and banished from the media."
- 10 Dense rough. countable, slang, uncountable
"Hitting from the Jungle. The rough at some courses is just weeds and sparse grass, as often as not giving a player a decent lie to shoot from. But grass above four inches is nasty. It will grab your club and alter your shots."
- 11 A dense mass of pubic hair. countable, slang, uncountable, vulgar
Adjective
- 1 resembling the fast-paced drumming of traditional peoples of the jungle. not-comparable, usually
"She gave her first performance at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, offering festival dances, Moro tribal rituals, primitive jungle rhythms and rice harvest ceremonials."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"We will get through the jungle somehow."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "jungle"?
Common synonyms include: afforestation, arboretum, boondocks, bush, bushveld, can of worms.
How do you use "jungle" in a sentence?
We will get through the jungle somehow.
How do you pronounce "jungle"?
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒʌŋ.ɡ(ə)l/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Hindustani جَن٘گَل (jaṅgal) / जंगल (jaṅgal), from Sanskrit जङ्गल (jaṅgala, “arid, sterile, desert”). First appears c. 1776 in a translation by Nathaniel Halhed.