mumbo jumbo

noun

mum·​bo jum·​bo ˌməm-bō-ˈjəm-(ˌ)bō 

1

: an object of superstitious homage and fear

2

a

: a complicated often ritualistic observance with elaborate trappings

b

: complicated activity or language usually intended to obscure and confuse

3

: unnecessarily involved and incomprehensible language : gibberish

4

: language, behavior, or beliefs based on superstition

Synonyms

• abracadabra
• babble
• blabber
• burble
• double Dutch
• double-talk
• drivel
• gabble
• gibber
• gibberish
• jabber
• jabberwocky
• nonsense
• prattle
• slobber

Examples of mumbo jumbo in a Sentence

We were confused by all the legal mumbo jumbo.

His explanation was just a lot of mumbo jumbo.

Recent Examples on the Web

That's marketing mumbo jumbo just like Apple's Retina display, but this new OLED purportedly offers a 40 percent higher peak brightness than the Pixel 7A—up to 2,000 nits (1,400 nits with HDR). —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 7 May 2024

Part of the challenge navigating this thread is discerning what’s actually material and what’s just performative mumbo jumbo. —Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024

But whatever all-for-one, the-strength-of-the-wolf-is-the-pack mumbo jumbo that has held the Pac-12 together for the past year now feels painfully trite. —Bill Oram, oregonlive, 27 July 2023

The techie in me had some serious questions about the dialogue involving The Entity’s source code; he was overruled by the part of me that loves when movie dialogue devolves into scientific mumbo jumbo. —Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 10 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Mumbo Jumbo, a masked figure among Mandingo peoples of western Africa

First Known Use

1738, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mumbo jumbo

noun

mum·​bo jum·​bo ˌməm-bō-ˈjəm-bō 

1

: a complicated ceremony

2

: confusing or meaningless talk or activity