jargon
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.special words used by a specific group of people, like doctors or lawyers, that are hard for others to understand.
n.the specialized language or terminology used by a particular profession, trade, or group. Uncountable in this sense.
Simple“The manual was full of technical jargon that I couldn't understand.”
In context“The legal team spent hours translating the contract's dense jargon into plain language so the client could understand the risks involved.”
UsageOften used with a negative tone to suggest that the language is unnecessarily difficult.
SynonymsAntonymsplain englishlayman's terms - 02 C2 Proficiency
n.speech or writing that does not make sense; gibberish.
n.language or speech that is incomprehensible, incoherent, or meaningless. Uncountable in this sense.
Simple“To my ears, the radio static sounded like a strange, mechanical jargon.”
In context“The patient's speech devolved into a confused jargon that the medical staff found impossible to interpret.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is less common in modern conversation; learners will mostly encounter it in older literature or formal descriptions of speech disorders.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to speak using special words that others do not understand, or to make confused sounds.
v.to use specialized terminology excessively or to emit unintelligible sounds.
Simple“The birds were jargoning in the trees early this morning.”
In context“In the old poem, the author describes the birds as they jargon and sing among the leaves of the forest.”
Teacher's tipThis verb form is very rare today and is almost exclusively found in poetry or historical texts.
“A 2023 study suggested that using song references in titles is a great way to grab a reader’s attention while avoiding the usual highly technical jargon.”
“He is, to borrow football jargon, giving the pre-match team talk, running through intelligence and in-game tactics.”
From Middle English jargoun, jargon, from Old French jargon, a variant of gargon, gargun (“chatter; talk; language”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.