Gobbledygook Meaning in English
word
ˌɡɑbəɫdiˈɡʊk
GAH-buhl-dee-GOOK
ɡˈɒbəldˌɪɡʊk
GOB-uhld-ee-GOOK
Definition
Unclear or complicated language that is difficult to understand, often used in official documents or technical speech.
Usage & Nuances
Informal and often humorous or critical. Used to criticize overly complex or meaningless language, especially in bureaucracy, legal, or technical contexts. Synonyms: "jargon" (for specialized language), but "gobbledygook" is more negative.
Spanish: palabrería incomprensible - galimatíasPortuguese (BR): linguajar confuso - conversa enroladaPortuguese (PT): linguajar confuso - conversa enroladaChinese (Simplified): 官话套话 - 听不懂的话Chinese (Traditional): 官話套話 - 聽不懂的話Hindi: असमझ भाषण - बेमतलब बातेंArabic: كلام غير مفهوم - هراء معقّدBengali: গুবলগুবল - অস্পষ্ট ভাষাRussian: тарабарщина - абракадабра (о сложном языке)Japanese: ちんぷんかんぷん - 意味不明な言葉Vietnamese: lời lẽ khó hiểu - biệt ngữ rối rắmKorean: 알아듣기 힘든 말 - 복잡한 전문용어Turkish: zırva - anlaşılmaz jargonUrdu: لغو بکواس - مبہم زبانIndonesian: omong kosong - bahasa yang membingungkan
Example Sentences
I could not understand the gobbledygook in the instructions.
basic
The legal document was full of gobbledygook.
basic
Can you explain this gobbledygook to me?
basic
All I heard in that meeting was a bunch of gobbledygook.
natural
Just give me the facts—skip the gobbledygook.
natural
Whenever he talks about taxes, it sounds like gobbledygook to me.
natural