gibberish

noun

gib·​ber·​ish ˈji-brish  ˈji-bə-rish 

ˈgi-

: unintelligible or meaningless language:

a

: a technical or esoteric (see esoteric sense 1) language

The doctors spoke to one another in their medical gibberish that I was unable to follow.

b

: pretentious or needlessly obscure language

The substance of the philosopher's work is buried in polysyllabic gibberish.

Synonyms

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

Examples of gibberish in a Sentence

She was talking gibberish in her sleep.

was so excited he could only talk gibberish

Recent Examples on the Web

The pressure of the moment led Ferrell to spurt out total gibberish in his telling — and his flub was so bad that SNL boss Lorne Michaels paid him a visit backstage. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 Jan. 2025

Let Us Show You How GPT Works — Using Jane Austen An interactive demonstration of how large language models work, from gibberish to complete sentences. —The Upshot Staff, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2024

Given this strange combination—Iron Guard nostalgia and Russian trolls plus the sort of wellness gibberish more commonly associated with Gwyneth Paltrow—who exactly are the Georgescus? —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025

Bernie spoke gibberish to investors when talking about his strategies. —Richard Behar, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably from gibber

First Known Use

circa 1554, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gibberish

noun

gib·​ber·​ish ˈjib-(ə-)rish  ˈgib- 

: confused meaningless talk