variants
also rigamarole
as in gobbledygook
language marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions
the security guard gave me some kind of rigmarole about passes and authorizations
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rigmarole
Now, there’s a bit of rigmarole in getting that price, which includes (according to Google Translate) nabbing a time-specific coupon worth $286 and trading in your old phone.
—
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The victors of Iraqi elections often enter a familiar rigmarole of bargaining and deal-making to form the largest parliamentary alliance and put a government in place.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Mutual funds allowed customers to write large checks above some threshold on their accounts rather than the rigmarole of a withdrawal.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole.
—John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rigmarole
Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
The victors of Iraqi elections often enter a familiar rigmarole of bargaining and deal-making to form the largest parliamentary alliance and put a government in place.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Mutual funds allowed customers to write large checks above some threshold on their accounts rather than the rigmarole of a withdrawal.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
The bust was followed by months of prolonged legal rigmarole.
—John Semley, Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rigmarole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rigmarole
Noun
-
Meaningless gobbledygook to an outsider, yet powerful to those who know how to wield those sounds properly.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Bob Kring DeBary Congressional bill is full of greed The Great Big Beautiful Bill reads like 950 pages of of gobbledygook distilled into four words: Greedy, stingy, mean and short-sighted.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
Like night one in Los Angeles, the usually unfiltered artist offered no commentary on the controversy and backlash surrounding him after years of antisemitic rhetoric, mental health struggles, and his public apology in a Wall Street Journal ad this past January for his antisemitic outbursts.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
4 Apr. 2026
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The rapper previously shared rhetoric widely deemed as antisemitic on social media, used a 2025 Super Bowl ad to redirect viewers to a website selling a $20 swastika T-shirt, and dropped a song praising Adolf Hitler.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Legal gibberish Let’s start with those last two words.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Naturally, Luke and Vader make lightsaber noises and the odd gibberish babble.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Final Four hype machine was cooking with gas at Lucas Oil Stadium on Indianapolis as the four NCAA Tournament semifinalists held open practices.—
Ryan Baker,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
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While there’s a lot of hype around biotin supplements for hair growth there just isn’t enough science to back it up.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Driving the news: The statement was published only in English on the Facebook page of the Israeli Prime Minister's Office — potentially another case of double-talk by Netanyahu.—
Barak Ravid,
Axios,
27 Sep. 2024
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The GOP Senate candidate in Arizona, whose brand is a combative, never-back-down MAGA politics, has adopted a position on the issue that is nearly indistinguishable from that of double-talking Democrats.—
Rich Lowry,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2024
Noun
-
The Secret Comedy of Women is a two woman show that blends improv, sketch comedy, song and dance, audience participation, multimedia, and heartfelt storytelling.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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In Barnes’ case, the boots aren’t just for weekend wear or a short drag routine but need to endure eight shows a week of energetic song and dance performances.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rigmarole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rigmarole. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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