variants
also rigamarole
as in gobbledygook
language marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions
the security guard gave me some kind of rigmarole about passes and authorizations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rigmarole
The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole.
—
John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Editors’ Picks Our Favorite Bathrooms Kermit has been through the graduation rigmarole before.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
But not as weird as the rigmarole of the music industry.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
Is there a company that prides itself on an absence of rigmarole?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for rigmarole
John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
Editors’ Picks Our Favorite Bathrooms Kermit has been through the graduation rigmarole before.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
But not as weird as the rigmarole of the music industry.
—Justin Curto, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2025
Is there a company that prides itself on an absence of rigmarole?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 22 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for rigmarole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rigmarole
Noun
-
Meaningless gobbledygook to an outsider, yet powerful to those who know how to wield those sounds properly.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Bob Kring DeBary Congressional bill is full of greed The Great Big Beautiful Bill reads like 950 pages of of gobbledygook distilled into four words: Greedy, stingy, mean and short-sighted.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
While Petro repeatedly promoted the idea of a return to Gran Colombia, his right-hand man, Benedetti played down the president’s rhetoric.—
Alfie Pannell,
Miami Herald,
10 Nov. 2025
-
For executives who depend on cross-border production and financing, the rhetoric adds another layer of uncertainty.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The strategy always involves the same ingredients: The message, called the plaintext, gets distorted (the encryption) so that anybody who intercepts it sees only garbled gibberish (the ciphertext).—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
How to Watch UConn vs UMass Lowell The Huskies come into this one as heavy favorites, riding the momentum of an opening-night win and plenty of preseason hype.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
While hype typically mounts around the release of Starbucks' holiday menu and collection, some people are saying they were let down by the lack of availability of the Bearista cup.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Driving the news: The statement was published only in English on the Facebook page of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office — potentially another case of double-talk by Netanyahu.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
27 Sep. 2024
-
The GOP Senate candidate in Arizona, whose brand is a combative, never-back-down MAGA politics, has adopted a position on the issue that is nearly indistinguishable from that of double-talking Democrats.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
The film depicts her establishment of the utopian society while the Shakers worship with song and dance.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
-
This aptitude for song and dance, combined with some friend-of-a-friend magic, was enough to get Taylor an audience with two people who would change her life.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rigmarole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rigmarole. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share