adj · noun · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˈd͡ʒʌŋ.ɡ(ə)l/
rhymes with -ʌŋɡəl
CMU ARPABET:JH AH1 NG G AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
resembling the fast-paced drumming of traditional peoples of the jungle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Qualifier: Of musical beat; rhythm; Of musical beat; rhythm
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A large, lush, undeveloped, humid forest, especially in a tropical region, thick with vegetation and wildlife; a tropical rainforest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Any uncultivated tract of forest or scrub habitat.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, South-Asia, Sri-Lanka, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A place where people behave ruthlessly, unconstrained by law or morality.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial, countable, uncountable
Examples
It’s a jungle out there.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A tangled mess.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
An area where hobos camp together.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A style of electronic dance music and precursor of drum and bass.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Dense rough.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, slang, uncountable
Topics: golf, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tiger country
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
A dense mass of pubic hair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, slang, uncountable, vulgar
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
an impenetrable equatorial forest
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: forest, wood, woods
11
noun
Meaning 11
a place where hoboes camp
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hobo camp
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: camp
12
noun
Meaning 12
a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: location
Narrower terms: concrete jungle
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Hindustani (Hindi जंगल (jaṅgal) / Urdu جَن٘گَل (jaṅgal)), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀚𑀁𑀕𑀮 (jaṃgala), from Sanskrit जङ्गल (jaṅgala, “arid or sterile region, desert”), from a substrate language. First appears c. 1776 in a translation by Nathaniel Halhed.
Across languages
Translations
137 source translations are retained for this English entry.
