woo-woo

adjective

ˈwü-ˌwü 

: dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural, or unscientific

And she has written a book … in which she dismisses what she calls "woo-woo spirituality" in favor of some straight talk on living with loss …

—Linda Richman

Energy beams from the eyes certainly sounds like woo-woo stuff …

—Steve Blow

woo-woo noun

One man's woo-woo, of course, is another's deeply held belief system.

—Julia Moskin

Examples of woo-woo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Both Scherzinger and Groff have a penchant for earnest, woo-woo appreciation for the theater, setting them apart from the snarky sibling banter of Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook or the wry gravitas of George Clooney and Patti LuPone. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025

Despite skepticism from traditional health care providers, these newer businesses appeal to many types of people, not just the most woo-woo among us. —Fiorella Valdesolo, Allure, 12 Mar. 2025

But by the end, Alyssa’s woo-woo outlook seems as reasonable as Dreux’s more traditional attempts to get ahead, when the game is so rigged that every wrong move seems to incur a lifetime penalty. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025

Tuberose, peach, and sandalwood blend to create a woo-woo forest. —Rose Dommu, Them, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from the interjection woo-woo as a conventional representation of an eerie or ghostly sound

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for woo-woo

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou