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

Other Word Forms

• jungly adjective
• jungled adjective
• underjungle 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

The US TV personality, 70, reportedly required surgey after sustaining head and facial injuries after tripping while going to the toilet during the night in the reality TV show's jungle camp.

From BBC

When you get there, you will suddenly feel like you’re in a jungle.

From Los Angeles Times

President Xi gave a toast to say the world must "never return to the law of the jungle".

From BBC

He adds he enjoys conversations about music with those older people in the housing, including discussions about garage and jungle music.

From BBC

Police condemned the killing of the woman - identified in local media as a food vendor named Amaye - as "jungle justice", saying that an investigation was under way to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

From BBC

Related Words

• forest 
• wasteland 
• wood