jargon

1 of 2

noun

jar·​gon ˈjär-gən How to pronounce jargon (audio)
-ˌgän
1
: the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity or group
sports jargon
2
: obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions and long words
an academic essay filled with jargon
3
a
: confused unintelligible language
b
: a strange, outlandish, or barbarous language or dialect
c
: a hybrid language or dialect simplified in vocabulary and grammar and used for communication between peoples of different speech
jargony
ˈjär-gə-nē How to pronounce jargon (audio)
-ˌgä-nē
adjective

jargon

2 of 2

verb

jargoned; jargoning; jargons

Examples of jargon in a Sentence

Noun medical jargon that the layman cannot understand an academic essay filled with jargon Verb the birds who began jargoning to greet the dawn
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Blending the high-tech jargon of Western science with the spiritual terminology of traditional and Eastern medicine, these modern salesmen claim their treatments can reverse aging, restore mental acuity or fight COVID-19 better than a vaccine. David Klepper, Fortune Well, 31 Jan. 2024 That’s typical jargon for winning the hearts and minds of ordinary Taiwanese voters, ideally through the promise of tighter economic ties with China. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024 The interpretation in the galleries has too much jargon on colonialism and the patriarchy. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 13 Jan. 2024 Or analyze the language used in the job posting to ensure it isn’t filled with too much irrelevant corporate jargon. To leap into AI more assertively, Fountain set aside some budget and created a small team of five. John Kell, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2024 But even when it’s written down, such information often gets buried in the impenetrable jargon of medical records. Mario Aguilar, STAT, 11 Jan. 2024 That’s jargon for a lengthy period of deflation, low economic growth, and weakness in the property market that can be caused by financial distress from extreme debt loads. Will Daniel, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2023 Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy host David Barr Kirtley warns that some readers may be put off by the book’s dense scientific jargon. Geek's Guide To The Galaxy, WIRED, 6 Oct. 2023 All of these phrases, according to the report, rank among each country’s top five most common work jargons. Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 13 June 2023
Verb
That’s like the same thing that happened in 2008 when everybody was bedazzled by all these Wall Street jargon terms like collateralized debt obligations. Recode Staff, Recode, 13 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jargon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French jargun, gargon

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of jargon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near jargon

Cite this Entry

“Jargon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jargon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jargon

noun
jar·​gon
ˈjär-gən,
-ˌgän
1
: a mixed language used for communication between peoples whose native languages are different
2
: the special language of a particular activity or group
legal jargon
3
: language that is not clear and is full of long important-sounding words

Medical Definition

jargon

noun
1
: the technical terminology or characteristic idiom of a special activity, group, profession, or field of study
medical jargon
2
: unintelligible, meaningless, or incoherent speech (as that associated with Wernicke's aphasia or some forms of schizophrenia)

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