Mumbo-jumbo

Mumbo-jumbo refers to meaningless or confusing language or activity, often involving ritual or ceremony, that is intended to impress or deceive. It can also describe elaborate or obscure language, empty pronouncements, or nonsensical beliefs and practices. The term often carries a connotation of being intentionally mystifying, misleading, or simply lacking in substance. It implies a lack of genuine meaning or understanding, masquerading under a facade of complexity or importance. Often used to dismiss something as unintelligible or irrelevant. The word can describe things that are pretentious, obfuscating or a deliberate attempt to confuse.

Mumbo-jumbo meaning with examples

• The politician's speech was filled with mumbo-jumbo about economic recovery, offering no concrete plans and relying on vague promises. The audience quickly saw through his rhetoric, realizing it was designed to obfuscate the real issues rather than address them. The lack of any specific strategies made the speech's economic mumbo-jumbo even more transparent. His promises seemed to be merely a smoke screen to avoid actual issues.
• The new software update's instructions were a confusing mix of technical mumbo-jumbo. Even after multiple attempts, users were unable to install it correctly, left wondering where they had gone wrong. The unnecessarily complex language, filled with jargon, made it nearly impossible for the average user to understand. The user interface was also complex, which only added to the mumbo-jumbo. Many resorted to calling support lines.
• The ancient ritual, described in the dusty tome, seemed like elaborate mumbo-jumbo with little relevance to modern life, which perplexed many who took part in its tradition. Its complex symbolic actions and cryptic pronouncements were difficult to interpret. The practitioners, however, insisted it had deeper spiritual meaning, even though few besides them understood the mumbo-jumbo, which went unquestioned.
• Critics dismissed the artist's latest exhibition as pretentious mumbo-jumbo. The abstract sculptures, accompanied by lengthy, obscure explanations, were criticized for lacking artistic merit. The inflated language used to describe them seemed designed to impress rather than express any genuine meaning. His pieces were seen by many as an attempt to seem relevant, and nothing else, by using esoteric mumbo-jumbo.