Jabberwocky

[ jab-er-wok-ee ]

/ ˈdʒæb ərˌwɒk i /

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See synonyms for Jabberwocky on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural Jab·ber·wock·ies.

a playful imitation of language consisting of invented, meaningless words; nonsense; gibberish.

an example of writing or speech consisting of or containing meaningless words.

adjective

consisting of or comparable to Jabberwocky; meaningless; senseless.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also Jab·ber·wock

[jab-er-wok]. /ˈdʒæb ərˌwɒk/.

Origin of Jabberwocky

Coined by Lewis Carroll in Jabberwocky, poem in Through the Looking Glass (1871); explained by Carroll to mean “the result of much excited and voluble discussion”; from jabber + Old English wocer, wocor “offspring, fruit”

Words nearby Jabberwocky

jab, Jabal, Jabalpur, Jabari, jabber, Jabberwocky, Jabir, Jabir ibn Hayyan, jabiru, Jaboatão, jaborandi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Jabberwocky in a sentence

Lewis Carroll really did introduce the word “chortle” to the English language in his 1871 poem Jabberwocky.
Why Big Data Doesn’t Live up to the Hype|Nick Romeo|January 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After that some Indians came on the scene of action, fierce red men of the forest, and their language was decidedly Jabberwocky.
A Little Girl in Old New York|Amanda Millie Douglas
I heard somebody say "Sh," but she started in her toothless Jabberwocky.
The Red Rugs of Tarsus|Helen Davenport Gibbons
A setting of Lewis Carroll's immortal "Jabberwocky" shows much rich humor of the college glee-club sort.
Contemporary American Composers|Rupert Hughes

Along his line of work he took his “vorpal” sword in hand and severed all the knots and twists of the mathematical Jabberwocky.
Lewis Carroll in Wonderland and at Home|Belle Moses

British Dictionary definitions for Jabberwocky

jabberwocky

/ (ˈdʒæbəˌwɒkɪ) /

noun plural -wockies

nonsense verse

Word Origin for jabberwocky

C19: coined by Lewis Carroll as the title of a poem in Through the Looking Glass (1871)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012