variants also rigamarole
as in gobbledegook
language marked by abstractions, jargon, euphemisms, and circumlocutions the security guard gave me some kind of rigmarole about passes and authorizations

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rigmarole Love the idea of falling asleep under the stars with a fresh breeze, but not so keen on the whole rigmarole of setting up a tent, digging a hole when nature calls, and sacrificing creature comforts like a luxury mattress or a coffee machine? Brittany Anas, House Beautiful, 2 Sep. 2023 Cons: The rigmarole of being asked to choose a text, make a rubbing from it and then name a preferred brand of freedom, all before being allowed to sound the big bell, is gilding the lily. Blake Gopnik, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2023 Recently, the mainline games have felt like hollow copies of the original generation’s charm and soul, introducing new concepts that are subsequently thrown away in sequels and putting players through the same, repetitive rigmarole on the way to becoming a champion. Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2021 Spare yourself the rigmarole, reap the benefits. Charles C. W. Cooke, National Review, 12 May 2022 See All Example Sentences for rigmarole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rigmarole
Noun
  • As always, Yellowjackets is full of mind-bending detours, supernatural gobbledygook, and foliage-laden costumes.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2025
  • Apologies to the Lois Lane stans out there, but Adams is mostly on hand in these movies to deliver stern gobbledygook (something about isotopes?) and stare at Henry Cavill’s cheekbones.
    Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • This could be reflected in Putin's rhetoric moving forward.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The portfolio is better positioned to handle volatility if rhetoric escalates from here.
    Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The child first dialed 911 and began saying gibberish to the dispatcher before hanging up and dialing again.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Fried memes and hysterical gibberish suffocate the internet nowadays.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • There has been a lot of hype around the Tar Heels program following the hiring of Belichick.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The two-year rally in Big Tech, propelled by artificial intelligence hype, could be hitting a ceiling as firms pivot from raw compute power to efficiency.
    Dan Irvine, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
  • Marking Domingo’s feature directing debut, the movie chronicles the fallout of the race-barrier breaking affair between the song and dance man and Kim Novak – played by Sydney Sweeney – in 1957.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2025
  • There are grand old-fashioned song and dance spectacles but also solo numbers that do fine without any extravagance.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rigmarole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rigmarole. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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