gibberish

noun

gib·​ber·​ish ˈji-brish  ˈji-bə-rish 

ˈgi-

: unintelligible or meaningless language:

a

: a technical or esoteric (see esoteric sense 1) language

The doctors spoke to one another in their medical gibberish that I was unable to follow.

b

: pretentious or needlessly obscure language

The substance of the philosopher's work is buried in polysyllabic gibberish.

Synonyms

• abracadabra
• babble
• blabber
• burble
• double Dutch
• double-talk
• drivel
• gabble
• gibber
• jabber
• jabberwocky
• mumbo jumbo
• nonsense
• prattle
• slobber

Examples of gibberish in a Sentence

She was talking gibberish in her sleep.

was so excited he could only talk gibberish

Recent Examples on the Web

Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports. —Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025

In 2023, Voyager 1 started sending gibberish from deep space, but that issue was resolved last year. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 20 May 2025

Next to Margaret, one of the two angels holds a book of song, once thought to be a hymn by the English composer Walter Frye but now identified as musical gibberish. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025

Furtado, with a similar penchant for stretching out vowels and embracing gibberish, does the same with Elliott here, at times shrill but still compelling. 73. —Steven J. Horowitz, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from gibber

First Known Use

circa 1554, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gibberish

noun

gib·​ber·​ish ˈjib-(ə-)rish  ˈgib- 

: confused meaningless talk