definitions

rigmarole

[ rig-muh-rohl ]
/ ˈrɪg məˌroʊl /
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noun

an elaborate or complicated procedure: to go through the rigmarole of a formal dinner.
confused, incoherent, foolish, or meaningless talk.

RELATED WORDS

hogwash, blather, jargon, madness, gobbledygook, babble, bunk, bull, foolishness, drivel, poppycock, rubbish, baloney, balderdash, prattle, gibberish, trash, palaver, senselessness, silliness

Nearby words

rigidify, rigidity, rigidize, rigil kent, rigil kentaurus, rigmarole, rigolet, rigoletto, rigor, rigor mortis, rigorism
Also rigamarole.

Origin of rigmarole

First recorded in 1730–40; alteration of ragman roll
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rigmarole

British Dictionary definitions for rigmarole

rigmarole

rigamarole

/ (ˈrɪɡməˌrəʊl) /

noun

any long complicated procedure
a set of incoherent or pointless statements; garbled nonsense

Word Origin for rigmarole

C18: from earlier ragman roll a list, probably a roll used in a medieval game, wherein various characters were described in verse, beginning with Ragemon le bon Ragman the good
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