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

Manned semisubmersibles built in clandestine jungle shipyards have been used for decades to ferry cocaine north from Colombia, the world's biggest cocaine producer, to Central America or Mexico. —CBS News, 26 Jan. 2026

Her central booking agent is now EYOS, an expedition agency that organizes the sublime and the unattainable for a billionaire elite, from heliskiing in Greenland to longlining from a chopper into virgin Colombian jungle. —Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026

Myki and Nini have the hardest time combining their two fabrics (leopard and green jungle) and give probably my least favorite looks of the week in the aggregate. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2026

In the 1880s, Belgium’s King Leopold II annexed the entire Congo Basin, more than nine hundred thousand square miles of Central African jungle, highlands, savanna, and forest, Katanga included. —Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026

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