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
For a long, long time, there’s been a movement within law to eliminate legalese -- the traditional jargon of lawyers. Christian Schneider, National Review, 24 Oct. 2024 Too many folks want to be the big shot enterprise salesperson, talking high-level jargon and playing golf with clients. Damon Stafford, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024
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 See all Example Sentences for jargon 

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 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

jargon

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

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)

More from Merriam-Webster on jargon

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