mumbo jumbo

[ muhm-boh juhm-boh ]

noun

, plural mum·bo jum·bos.

1. meaningless incantation or ritual.
2. senseless or pretentious language, usually designed to obscure an issue, confuse a listener, or the like.
3. an object of superstitious awe or reverence.
4. (initial capital letters) the guardian of western Sudan villages symbolized by a masked man who combats evil and punishes women for breaches of tribal laws.

mumbo jumbo

/ ˈmʌmbəʊ /

noun

1. foolish religious reverence, ritual, or incantation
2. meaningless or unnecessarily complicated language
3. an object of superstitious awe or reverence

Word History and Origins

Origin of mumbo jumbo¹

First recorded in 1730–40; of disputed origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of mumbo jumbo¹

C18: probably from Mandingo mama dyumbo, name of a tribal god

Example Sentences

She asked about “all the mumbo jumbo” — the transmission information — at the top of the document; I was more interested in the content: records from the 1930s that detailed a shameful chapter in Los Angeles history — repatriation campaigns that targeted Mexican and Mexican American families.

From Los Angeles Times

“No, but he was always down on our birthday too. I’d ask him what was wrong, and he’d say he was reminiscing or some cheesy mumbo jumbo. I think—no, I know he was missing you.”

From Literature

Sometimes, the words of a court room amount to mumbo jumbo to the occasional visitor.

From BBC

You’ve been quoted as saying that architecture is too often treated as a fine art, “delicately wrapped in mumbo jumbo,” when in fact it incorporates disciplines including science, math, and engineering.

From New York Times

He was speaking his usual mumbo jumbo about hardcore software-writing and “the code stack” — but, in essence, he was right.

From Washington Post