jargon

noun jar·gon \ ˈjär-gən , -ˌgän \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: jargon in a Sentence

Definition of jargon

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

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jargony

play \ˈjär-gə-nē, -ˌgä-nē\ adjective

See jargon defined for English-language learners

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Examples of jargon in a Sentence

medical jargon that the layman cannot understand
an academic essay filled with jargon

Recent Examples of jargon from the Web

Free of geopolitical jargon, her deceptively simple prose is sprinkled with shrewd observations about the emotions that underpin bad or wicked political decisions.

— The Economist, "Madeleine Albright’s guide to fascism, past and present," 12 Apr. 2018
Through military jargon and agency insight, Clancy’s detail-heavy narratives sold a lot of books and, starting with the release of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six in 1998, a lot of video games too.

— mo mozuch, Newsweek, "How to (Virtually) Survive in Post-Apocalypse Manhattan," 23 Feb. 2016
Sometimes, Kalanick didn't even know (or at least wasn't willing to fully explain) his own jargon.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Here’s how to use Kalanickspeak at your next jam sesh, bro," 10 Feb. 2018
The beds were neatly made and everything was labeled in military jargon, with the tents labeled Alpha 1, Alpha 2, and so on.

— cal perry, NBC News, "Child separations 'should have never happened,' says emergency manager at Tornillo tent facility," 25 June 2018
Building trust is challenging and takes time because of the technical, scientific, and legal jargon — and high emotions — often surrounding discussions of privacy and security.

— eric dishman, STAT, "I handed over my genetic data to the NIH. Here’s why you should, too," 13 June 2018
Understand What’s Happening Sailing is rich with jargon, tradition, and lore.

— Popular Mechanics, "The Beginner's Guide To Sailing," 18 May 2018
And if all of the above tips just sounded like anxiety-producing jargon, don’t freak—Harwood has a slew of feminizing makeup videos on his page, including one, below, that demonstrates a bunch of the tips and tricks above.

— chloe metzger, Marie Claire, "The 5 Most Insanely Useful Makeup Tricks for Transgender Women," 9 Oct. 2017
In that, with her scandal behind her, Kimmy attends a tech conference laden with bros and groanworthy jargon.

— megan angelo, Glamour, "Kimmy Schmidt Is TV's Most Unlikely #MeToo Villain," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jargon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.