jungle

noun

jun·​gle ˈjəŋ-gəl 

often attributive

1

a

: an impenetrable thicket or tangled mass of tropical vegetation

b

: a tract overgrown with thickets or masses of vegetation

2

a(1)

: a confused or disordered mass of objects : jumble

(2)

: something that baffles or frustrates by its tangled or complex character : maze

… the jungle of housing laws …

—Bernard Taper

b

: a place of ruthless struggle for survival

… the city is a jungle where no one is safe after dark.

—Stuart Chase

3

: electronic dance music that combines elements of techno, reggae, and hip-hop and is marked especially by an extremely fast beat

4

: a hobo camp

junglelike

ˈjəŋ-gə(l)-ˌlīk 

adjective

jungly

ˈjəŋ-g(ə-)lē 

adjective

Synonyms of jungle

• jumble
• medley
• variety
• assortment
• collage
• menagerie
• clutter

Examples of jungle in a Sentence

life in the corporate jungle

It's hard to succeed in the business world. It's a jungle out there.

a jungle of environmental laws

Recent Examples on the Web

The South American country is larger than Texas and home to rugged mountains and Amazon jungle. —NPR, 27 Nov. 2025

Design and extras Bounce houses are colorful and fun, but some models go beyond that with actual designs like a castle, a pirate ship or a tropical jungle. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

The interiors by Luxury Frontiers honor rather than compete with the mountain mist and dense jungle. —Natalie Preddie, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025

The project involves roughly 300,000 volunteers and reaches deep jungles, city slums, mountainside villages and more than 1,000 remote Pacific islands, according to Samaritan’s Purse. —Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Hindi jaṅgal & Urdu jangal forest, from Sanskrit jaṅgala desert region

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing jungle

• asphalt jungle
• concrete jungle
• jungle cat
• jungle fowl
• jungle gym
• the law of the jungle

Rhymes for jungle

• antifungal
• fungal

Kids Definition

jungle

noun

jun·​gle ˈjəŋ-gəl 

1

: a thick tangled mass of tropical vegetation

2

: an area overgrown with jungle or other vegetation