jungle

[ juhng-guhl ]

noun

1. a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation, often nearly impenetrable, especially tropical vegetation or a tropical rainforest.
2. a tract of such land.
3. a wilderness of dense overgrowth; a piece of swampy, thickset forestland.
4. any confused mass or agglomeration of objects; jumble:

   a jungle of wrecked automobiles.

5. something that baffles or perplexes; maze:

   a jungle of legal double-talk.

6. a scene of violence and struggle for survival:

   The neglected prison was a jungle for its inmates.

7. a place or situation of ruthless competition:

   the advertising jungle.

8. Slang.
   1. (in historical use) a hobo camp:

      We found him by the campfire, with many similarly raggedy hobos in what is known as a jungle.

   2. any camp of unhoused individuals:

      Law enforcement clears the jungle and tears down the temporary structures a few times each year, but people return and a new encampment always springs up.

jungle

/ ˈdʒʌŋɡəl /

noun

1. an equatorial forest area with luxuriant vegetation, often almost impenetrable
2. any dense or tangled thicket or growth
3. a place of intense competition or ruthless struggle for survival

   the concrete jungle

4. a type of fast electronic dance music, originating in the early 1990s, which combines elements of techno and ragga
5. slang.
   (esp in the Depression) a gathering place for the unemployed, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈjungly, adjective

Other Words From

• jun·gled adjective
• un·der·jun·gle noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jungle¹

First recorded in 1770–80; from Hindi jaṅgal, from Sanskrit jaṅgala “uncultivated land, dry land, waterless place”

Word History and Origins

Origin of jungle¹

C18: from Hindi jangal, from Sanskrit jāngala wilderness

Idioms and Phrases

see law of the jungle .

Example Sentences

There’s a reason that Benedict Cumberbatch voiced the dragon Smaug in “The Hobbit,” and it’s the same reason Irons voiced Scar in “The Lion King” and George Sanders, BBG emeritus, played Shere Khan in “The Jungle Book.”

From Los Angeles Times

After she entered the Australian jungle on Sunday, broadcaster Rylan Clark, who met Tulisa when she was a judge on X-Factor, urged viewers not to comment on her appearance.

From BBC

In an emotional conversation, McGuigan told his jungle campmates on the ITV reality show about how she originally recovered from leukaemia as a child after two years of treatment.

From BBC

Tulisa is in the celebrity jungle alongside the likes of Coleen Rooney, McFly star Danny Jones and Love Island's Maura Higgins.

From BBC

The big cat once roamed through a jungle packed with trees, but now part of its home is a working farm with herds of cattle that have taken over the jaguar’s territory.

From National Geographic Kids

Related Words

• forest
• wasteland
• wood