mumblecore

American  

[muhm-buhl-kawr] / ˈmʌm bəlˌkɔr /

noun

1. a genre of film or television typically characterized by naturalistic dialogue, a small budget, relatively unknown actors, and a plot focused on interpersonal relationships.

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Etymology

Origin of mumblecore

mumble ( def. ) + -core ( def. ); said to have been coined in 2005 by Eric Masunaga, a sound editor at the South by Southwest festival

Example Sentences

Now far enough removed from his mumblecore roots in films like “Kicking and Screaming” and “The Squid and the Whale,” Baumbach is something of a tycoon himself.

From Salon • Oct. 2, 2025

He kept costs low, cast his friends and family in his movies and pursued an improvisational production style that preceded the early-2000s film genre mumblecore.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

This is unsurprising given that the movie is directed by indie darling Greta Gerwig, who achieved early fame in the mumblecore movement, acting in very small, self-conscious films about relationships between offbeat people.

From Slate • Jul. 29, 2023

The first half of Shatara Michelle Ford’s debut feature, set in Austin, Texas, traces their relationship in an endearingly low-key, mumblecore fashion.

From New York Times • Feb. 18, 2021

Joe Swanberg’s improvised mumblecore Netflix anthology Easy operates at its own pace.

From The Guardian • Mar. 28, 2020