57 Weirdest Words in English With Their Meanings & Examples
Discover 57 of the weirdest words in English! From gobbledygook to whiffler, explore quirky terms with their meanings and examples.
The English language is full of bizarre words that sound unusual but have fascinating meanings. Whether it’s flummox (to confuse) or borborygmus (a stomach rumble), these words make the language more colorful.
In this article, we’ve put together a list of the weirdest words in English, complete with their meanings and examples, all arranged alphabetically for your convenience. So, take a look and try not to get befuddled!
Weirdest Words in English
Here are 57 of the weirdest words in English; get ready to be flabbergasted!
1. Abaft
Meaning: Toward or at the stern of a ship.
Example: The sailors moved abaft as the storm approached.
2. Abatjour
Meaning: A skylight or device that directs light into a room.
Example: The attic’s abatjour lets in the morning sun beautifully.
3. Agastopia
Meaning: Admiration of a specific body part.
Example: His agastopia for hands made him notice every handshake.
4. Argle-bargle
Meaning: Meaningless talk or nonsense.
Example: The politicians’ debate was full of argle-bargle.
5. Bumbershoot
Meaning: An old-fashioned word for an umbrella.
Example: She grabbed her bumbershoot before stepping into the rain.
6. Buttress
Meaning: A structure built to support or reinforce something, or to strengthen an argument or position.
Example: The architect added a buttress to the wall to prevent it from collapsing.
7. Baboonery
Meaning: Foolish behavior or nonsense.
Example: His baboonery at the meeting annoyed everyone.
8. Ballyrag
Meaning: To criticize or belittle someone, often in a playful or teasing manner.
Example: He liked to ballyrag his friends, but they knew he didn’t mean any harm.
9. Befuddle
Meaning: To confuse someone.
Example: The puzzle befuddled even the smartest students.
10. Bibble
Meaning: To drink noisily.
Example: He sat at the table bibbling his soup loudly.
11. Blatherskite
Meaning: Someone who talks nonsense.
Example: Ignore him, he’s a total blatherskite.
12. Borborygmus
Meaning: The rumbling sound your stomach makes.
Example: Her borborygmus embarrassed her in the quiet room.
13. Brouhaha
Meaning: A big fuss or uproar.
Example: The controversial statement caused a media brouhaha.
14. Bumfuzzle
Meaning: To confuse or fluster.
Example: The magician’s trick completely bumfuzzled the crowd.
15. Callipygian
Meaning: Having well-shaped buttocks.
Example: The sculpture was known for its callipygian form.
16. Cattywampus
Meaning: Crooked or not lined up properly.
Example: His bookshelf was sitting all cattywampus.
17. Chockablock
Meaning: Completely full or crowded, often used to describe a place or time.
Example: The restaurant was chockablock with people, and we had to wait an hour for a table.
18. Cockamamie
Meaning: Ridiculous or nonsensical.
Example: That’s the most cockamamie excuse I’ve ever heard!
19. Collywobbles
Meaning: Stomach pain or nervousness.
Example: She had the collywobbles before her big speech.
20. Crapulous
Meaning: Feeling sick from eating or drinking too much.
Example: He felt crapulous after three servings of cake.
21. Discombobulate
Meaning: To confuse someone.
Example: The strange directions discombobulated her completely.
22. Doodle
Meaning: To scribble aimlessly.
Example: She spent the whole meeting doodling in her notebook.
23. Dongle
Meaning: A small electronic device that connects to a computer.
Example: I forgot my dongle, so I couldn’t connect to the internet.
24. Doohickey
Meaning: A gadget or object with an unknown name.
Example: Hand me that doohickey so I can fix this.
25. Fartlek
Meaning: A type of running training with speed variations.
Example: His fartlek training improved his endurance.
26. Flabbergasted
Meaning: Shocked or amazed.
Example: I was flabbergasted by the surprise party.
27. Flibbertigibbet
Meaning: A talkative, flighty person.
Example: She’s such a flibbertigibbet, always gossiping.
28. Floccinaucinihilipilification
Meaning: Considering something worthless.
Example: His floccinaucinihilipilification of the project was frustrating.
29. Flummox
Meaning: To confuse or perplex.
Example: The riddle completely flummoxed her.
30. Gerrymandering
Meaning: Manipulating voting districts for political advantage.
Example: The opposition accused them of gerrymandering before the election.
31. Gibberish
Meaning: Meaningless or nonsensical speech, often unintelligible.
Example: He was speaking so fast that it sounded like gibberish to everyone around him.
32. Gobbledygook
Meaning: Complicated, meaningless language.
Example: His contract was filled with gobbledygook.
33. Gubbins
Meaning: Miscellaneous small items.
Example: His drawer was full of random gubbins.
34. Hootenanny
Meaning: An informal gathering, especially one featuring music, dancing, or a good time.
Example: We’re hosting a hootenanny this weekend with live music and plenty of food!
35. Hullabaloo
Meaning: A loud commotion.
Example: The hullabaloo in the street woke me up.
36. Innuendo
Meaning: An indirect or subtle remark, often suggesting something improper or sexual.
Example: His comment was full of innuendo, making everyone uncomfortable at the dinner table.
37. Jackanapes
Meaning: A mischievous or impudent person.
Example: That little jackanapes is always causing trouble.
38. Kerfuffle
Meaning: A commotion or fuss, especially one caused by a disagreement.
Example: There was a bit of a kerfuffle when the two teams couldn’t agree on the rules.
39. Lackadaisical
Meaning: Lacking enthusiasm or determination.
Example: His lackadaisical attitude annoyed his teammates.
40. Lollygag
Meaning: To dawdle or waste time.
Example: Quit lollygagging and finish your work.
41 Malarkey
Meaning: Nonsense or lies.
Example: That’s a bunch of malarkey!
42. Nincompoop
Meaning: A foolish or silly person.
Example: Don’t be such a nincompoop.
43. Obfuscate
Meaning: To make something unclear or difficult to understand.
Example: He obfuscated his explanation to avoid answering directly.
44. Persnickety
Meaning: Fussy or overly particular.
Example: She’s persnickety about how her books are arranged.
45. Poppycock
Meaning: Nonsense.
Example: His explanation was complete poppycock.
46. Rabble
Meaning: A disorderly crowd or mob.
Example: The rabble outside the gates demanded answers.
47. Ragamuffin
Meaning: A person, usually a child, dressed in ragged or shabby clothes.
Example: The little ragamuffin ran through the streets with a big smile on his face.
48. Ragtag
Meaning: A group of people or things that are disorganized or of varied types.
Example: The ragtag group of adventurers set off on their journey, not knowing what awaited them.
49. Rigmarole
Meaning: A long, complicated procedure.
Example: The paperwork was an endless rigmarole.
50. Snollygoster
Meaning: A cunning but unprincipled politician.
Example: The debate was full of snollygosters making promises.
51. Taradiddle
Meaning: A small lie or fib.
Example: His story was full of taradiddle.
52. Vexillology
Meaning: The study of flags.
Example: He had a passion for vexillology.
53. Whiffler
Meaning: A person who moves aimlessly or changes direction frequently, often to avoid making a decision.
Example: He acted like a whiffler, never sticking to one path for long.
54. Whippersnapper
Meaning: A young and inexperienced person.
Example: That whippersnapper thinks he knows everything!
55. Widdershins
Meaning: Moving counterclockwise or in the wrong direction.
Example: They danced widdershins around the fire.
56. Zoanthropy
Meaning: A mental disorder where someone believes they are an animal.
Example: He was convinced he was a wolf due to his zoanthropy.
57. Zonked
Meaning: Extremely tired or exhausted, often from physical exertion or a lack of sleep.
Example: After the long hike, I was completely zonked and needed a good rest.
Conclusion
You might think this list of weirdest words is nothing but gobbledygook, a confusing mess of sounds and letters. But that’s the beauty of it!
English is full of oddities that keep it exciting and unpredictable. These weird words and quirky terms are a reminder of how playful and unpredictable language can be, so embrace the weirdness!
Next time you encounter a strange word, remember — sometimes the weirdest words are the most interesting. Language doesn’t always have to make sense to be entertaining!
