Table of Contents
The Quick Answer
Weird words are bizarre, highly specific, or unusually spelled terms that have somehow secured a permanent place in the American English dictionary. They are the perfect vocabulary upgrade for writers, linguists, and anyone looking to add a touch of absurdist humor to their conversations.
If you want to sound hilarious or obscure, swap out generic words for weird ones. For funny sounds, use borborygmus or collywobbles. For nonsense, use gobbledygook or malarkey. For strange behaviors, use absquatulate or discombobulate. Below, you'll find 60+ weird words, their meanings, and how to use them.
Word Profile: Borborygmus
The linguistic secret behind why some words sound so bizarre.
| Concept | Borborygmus |
| Meaning | A rumbling or gurgling noise made by the movement of fluid and gas in the intestines. |
| Phonetic Traits | Derived from Greek, it directly mimics the sound it describes through its bouncy, rhythmic syllables. |
| Opposite | Silence (specifically, the absence of intestinal rumbling). |
| Best Used In | Humorous & Descriptive Writing |
Why Use Weird Words?
The power of playful vocabulary.
Words shape how we think and feel. When you use generic words like "noise" or "liar," the reader's brain glazes over. But when you use a word like "borborygmus" or "snollygoster," it forces the reader to slow down, laugh, and pay attention. Weird words add personality, humor, and a distinctly American flavor to your writing.
The Generic Trap
"The man's stomach made a loud noise. He was a bad politician who lied a lot."
This is functional, but completely forgettable.
The Weird Fix
"The man's stomach let out a loud borborygmus. He was a snollygoster who told absolute taradiddles."
This paints a vivid, hilarious picture.
The Weird Word Grid (60+)
A complete visual directory of 60+ bizarre words. Click any word to explore its definition.
Funny Sounds & Tongue Twisters
Classic Slang & Nonsense
Strange Body & Mind Words
Odd Actions & States
Funny Sounds & Tongue Twisters
Words that are just as fun to say as they are to use.
Collywobbles
Stomach pain or a feeling of nervousness and anxiety (butterflies in the stomach).
- The steep drop on the roller coaster gave her a bad case of the collywobbles.
- He felt the collywobbles right before walking onto the stage to propose.
- I can't eat spicy food without getting the collywobbles afterward.
Flibbertigibbet
A frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person.
- Stop acting like a flibbertigibbet and sit down to focus on your work.
- She was a notorious flibbertigibbet, spreading rumors across the office.
- The flibbertigibbet chattered endlessly through the entire movie.
Skedaddle
To run away quickly; flee.
- When the cops showed up, the teens had to skedaddle out of the park.
- You'd better skedaddle before the boss sees you're late.
- The stray cat skedaddled under the fence as soon as the dog barked.
Bumfuzzle
To confuse or fluster someone.
- The complicated math problem completely bumfuzzled the class.
- He was so tired that the simple instructions bumfuzzled him.
- Don't let the new software bumfuzzle you; it just takes practice.
Cattywampus
Askew, awry, or positioned diagonally.
- The earthquake left all the paintings hanging cattywampus.
- He tried to assemble the dresser, but the drawers ended up cattywampus.
- Her glasses were knocked cattywampus during the pillow fight.
Snollygoster
A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.
- The voters were tired of the snollygosters running City Hall.
- He was a pure snollygoster, taking bribes from every developer in town.
- The journalist exposed the snollygoster's embezzlement scheme.
Gobbledygook
Language that is meaningless or is made unintelligible by excessive use of abstruse technical terms.
- The legal contract was full of confusing gobbledygook.
- The professor's lecture was just academic gobbledygook to the freshmen.
- Please translate this tech manual out of gobbledygook and into English.
Taradiddle
A petty lie; pretentious nonsense.
- He told a tall taradiddle about catching a fish the size of a boat.
- I've had enough of your taradiddles; just tell me the truth.
- Her excuse for being late was a bunch of absolute taradiddle.
Kerfuffle
A fuss or commotion, usually caused by a dispute.
- There was a minor kerfuffle over who got the last slice of pizza.
- The celebrity's wardrobe malfunction caused a huge media kerfuffle.
- I try to avoid the office kerfuffle about the thermostat.
Hullabaloo
A commotion, uproar, or fuss.
- The surprise party caused quite a hullabaloo when the guest of honor arrived.
- Stop making all that hullabaloo; the baby is sleeping.
- The fans made a massive hullabaloo after the winning goal.
Classic Slang & Nonsense
Vintage American terms for lying, cheating, and acting foolish.
Brouhaha
A noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something.
- There was a huge brouhaha when the celebrity walked into the diner.
- I don't understand all the brouhaha over the new dress code.
- The controversial art exhibit caused a public brouhaha.
Lollygag
To spend time aimlessly; dawdle.
- Stop lollygagging and finish your chores!
- We spent the afternoon lollygagging by the pool.
- He was fired for lollygagging when he should have been working.
Widdershins
In a direction contrary to the sun's course; counterclockwise.
- The witches danced widdershins around the bonfire.
- You must stir the potion widdershins, or it will fail.
- He walked widdershins around the monument, just to be different.
Malarkey
Meaningless talk; nonsense.
- Don't listen to that political malarkey.
- He claimed he invented the internet, which is pure malarkey.
- I've had enough of your malarkey; go to your room.
Ninnyhammer
A foolish or stupid person.
- He felt like a real ninnyhammer after locking his keys in the car.
- Don't be a ninnyhammer; read the instructions before building it.
- The ninnyhammer tried to push the 'pull' door.
Bunkum
Empty talk; nonsense.
- The salesman's pitch was pure bunkum.
- I don't believe a word of this financial bunkum.
- The article was filled with pseudo-scientific bunkum.
Poppycock
Nonsense.
- I call poppycock on that ridiculous theory.
- His claim that he can fly is absolute poppycock.
- The board rejected the proposal as utter poppycock.
Balderdash
Absurd, nonsensical talk or ideas.
- The conspiracy theory was absolute balderdash.
- Don't feed me that balderdash; I know where you were last night.
- The movie's plot was a confusing load of balderdash.
Shenanigans
Secret or dishonest activities or maneuvers.
- The kids were up to their usual shenanigans in the backyard.
- I'm watching you; no funny shenanigans while I'm gone.
- The accountant was fired for financial shenanigans.
Flapdoodle
Nonsense; absurd or silly talk.
- The review was a load of pretentious flapdoodle.
- Don't try to trick me with that legal flapdoodle.
- He wrote an entire essay on flapdoodle and still passed.
Strange Body & Mind Words
Bizarre medical and biological terms for everyday functions.
Borborygmus
A rumbling or gurgling noise made by the movement of fluid and gas in the intestines.
- His stomach's loud borborygmus echoed in the quiet lecture hall.
- The doctor said the borborygmus was a normal sign of digestion.
- A sudden borborygmus reminded her she had skipped breakfast.
Sialoquent
Prone to spraying saliva when speaking.
- The sialoquent speaker left the front row covered in spit.
- Please step back; you're being a bit sialoquent today.
- He was a sialoquent talker, so nobody sat in the front row.
Horripilation
The erection of hairs on the skin; goosebumps.
- The scary movie caused sudden horripilation on her arms.
- A sudden chill brought on a wave of horripilation.
- The eerie music induced horripilation in the audience.
Nictitate
To wink or blink.
- The owl would nictitate its large, yellow eyes in the dark.
- He tried to nictitate a secret signal to his friend across the room.
- The doctor asked her to nictitate so he could check her reflexes.
Pandiculation
The act of stretching and yawning, especially upon waking.
- The cat woke up with a satisfying pandiculation.
- He let out a loud groan during his morning pandiculation.
- A good pandiculation is the best part of waking up.
Singultus
A hiccup or hiccups.
- His case of the singultus lasted for three hours.
- The doctor prescribed a remedy for his persistent singultus.
- Drinking water upside down is the best cure for singultus.
Eructation
A belch or burp.
- A loud eructation interrupted the quiet dinner.
- The doctor asked the patient to describe his eructation habits.
- He tried to muffle his eructation behind a napkin.
Masticate
To chew food.
- You must masticate your food thoroughly before swallowing.
- He was so hungry he barely took time to masticate the burger.
- The dentist told him to masticate on the left side of his mouth.
Osculate
To kiss.
- The romantic couple paused to osculate under the mistletoe.
- In some cultures, people osculate the air next to each other's cheeks.
- The two gears began to osculate at high speeds.
Palpebral
Relating to the eyelids.
- The doctor applied a soothing cream to the palpebral area.
- She suffered a minor palpebral twitch from staring at the screen.
- The inflammation was confined to the palpebral region.
Odd Actions & States
Weird words for confusion, leaving, and destruction.
Absquatulate
To leave abruptly; abscond.
- The thief tried to absquatulate with the stolen diamonds.
- When the bill arrived, her date decided to absquatulate.
- Let's absquatulate before the cops show up.
Discombobulate
To disconcert or confuse (someone).
- The unexpected question completely discombobulated the speaker.
- Time zones always discombobulate me when I travel.
- The magician's sleight of hand was meant to discombobulate the audience.
Flummox
Perplex (someone) greatly; bewilder.
- The difficult math problem flummoxed the entire class.
- He was flummoxed by her sudden change in attitude.
- The new software interface flummoxed the older employees.
Befuddle
To cause to become unable to think clearly.
- Too much wine will befuddle your brain.
- The complex directions befuddled the tourists.
- He walked around in a befuddled daze after hitting his head.
Gongoozler
An idle spectator; someone who stares at canals.
- The gongoozler stood on the bridge for hours, staring at nothing.
- Stop being a gongoozler and help me fix the boat.
- A crowd of gongoozlers gathered to watch the construction.
Namby-pamby
Lacking vigor or determination; weak and sentimental.
- The coach yelled that their defense was namby-pamby.
- Stop being so namby-pamby and make a decision.
- It was a namby-pamby compromise that solved nothing.
Hoosegow
A jail.
- The outlaw was thrown into the local hoosegow.
- If you keep drinking, you'll end up in the hoosegow.
- He spent a night in the hoosegow for public intoxication.
Bloviate
To speak or write at length in a pompous or boastful manner.
- The politician loved to bloviate about his own greatness.
- I can't listen to him bloviate for another hour.
- The columnist bloviated about the good old days.
Mugwump
A person who remains aloof or independent, especially from party politics.
- The independent voter was called a mugwump by both sides.
- He was a political mugwump, refusing to join any party.
- Don't be a mugwump; pick a side and vote!
Smithereens
Small pieces; fragments.
- The vase hit the hard floor and shattered into smithereens.
- The dynamite blew the rock to smithereens.
- If I catch you in my yard, I'll blow you to smithereens!
40 Example Sentences
See how these weird words function in original sentences.
Funny Sounds & Tongue Twisters
- The steep drop on the roller coaster gave her a bad case of the collywobbles.
- Stop acting like a flibbertigibbet and sit down to focus on your work.
- When the cops showed up, the teens had to skedaddle out of the park.
- The complicated math problem completely bumfuzzled the class.
- The earthquake left all the paintings hanging cattywampus.
- The voters were tired of the snollygosters running City Hall.
- The legal contract was full of confusing gobbledygook.
- He told a tall taradiddle about catching a fish the size of a boat.
- There was a minor kerfuffle over who got the last slice of pizza.
- The surprise party caused quite a hullabaloo when the guest arrived.
Classic Slang & Nonsense
- There was a huge brouhaha when the celebrity walked into the diner.
- Stop lollygagging and finish your chores!
- The witches danced widdershins around the bonfire.
- Don't listen to that political malarkey.
- He felt like a real ninnyhammer after locking his keys in the car.
- The salesman's pitch was pure bunkum.
- I call poppycock on that ridiculous theory.
- The conspiracy theory was absolute balderdash.
- The kids were up to their usual shenanigans in the backyard.
- The review was a load of pretentious flapdoodle.
Strange Body & Mind Words
- His stomach's loud borborygmus echoed in the quiet lecture hall.
- The sialoquent speaker left the front row covered in spit.
- The scary movie caused sudden horripilation on her arms.
- The owl would nictitate its large, yellow eyes in the dark.
- The cat woke up with a satisfying pandiculation.
- His case of the singultus lasted for three hours.
- A loud eructation interrupted the quiet dinner.
- You must masticate your food thoroughly before swallowing.
- The romantic couple paused to osculate under the mistletoe.
- The doctor applied a soothing cream to the palpebral area.
Odd Actions & States
- The thief tried to absquatulate with the stolen diamonds.
- The unexpected question completely discombobulated the speaker.
- The difficult math problem flummoxed the entire class.
- Too much wine will befuddle your brain.
- The gongoozler stood on the bridge for hours, staring at nothing.
- The coach yelled that their defense was namby-pamby.
- The outlaw was thrown into the local hoosegow.
- The politician loved to bloviate about his own greatness.
- The independent voter was called a mugwump by both sides.
- The vase hit the hard floor and shattered into smithereens.
Common Mistakes
Avoid these frequent vocabulary pitfalls.
Using "gobbledygook" to describe a quiet whisper.
âś“ Use "gobbledygook" for overly complex, incomprehensible jargon.
Explanation: Gobbledygook refers to language that is overly complicated or technical, not a quiet volume.
Tip: Think of a turkey gobbling; it's a mess of noise, not a whisper.
Pronouncing "cattywampus" as "kitty-wamp-us".
âś“ Pronounce it "cat-ee-womp-us".
Explanation: It is a slang term, but the standard pronunciation puts the emphasis on the first syllable and uses a hard "cat" sound.
Tip: Cat-ty-wom-pus. Like a crooked cat.
Using "malarkey" to describe a serious, factual report.
âś“ Use "malarkey" for meaningless talk, nonsense, or lies.
Explanation: Malarkey implies foolishness and insincerity, making it completely inappropriate for formal facts.
Tip: If it's true, it's not malarkey.
Using "skedaddle" in a formal academic paper.
âś“ Keep "skedaddle" in casual, narrative, or historical fiction writing.
Explanation: It is a highly informal slang word that sounds out of place in strict academic or professional writing.
Tip: Save it for cowboys and teenagers.
Calling a kind, polite person a "snollygoster."
âś“ Reserve "snollygoster" for a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.
Explanation: A snollygoster is inherently corrupt and self-serving, not polite or kind.
Tip: Think of a monster in a swamp; politicians are snollygosters.
Spelling "shenanigans" as "shananagins".
âś“ Remember the "e" after the "h" and the "a" before the "gans".
Explanation: It's a highly misspelled word, and getting it wrong undermines the fun of using it.
Tip: Break it down: she-nan-i-gans.
Using "borborygmus" to describe a heart sound.
âś“ Use "borborygmus" specifically for stomach and intestinal rumbling.
Explanation: The word comes from Greek words meaning "rumbling in the bowels," not the chest.
Tip: Think of it as the sound your stomach makes when hungry.
Saying "he osculated the ball" to mean he threw it.
âś“ Use "osculate" to mean kiss or touch.
Explanation: Osculate is a formal, biological term for kissing, not throwing.
Tip: Osculate = Osculation (kissing).
Using "hoosegow" to refer to a fancy restaurant.
âś“ Use "hoosegow" to refer to a jail or prison.
Explanation: Hoosegow is American slang for jail, derived from the Spanish "juzgado" (tribunal).
Tip: If you're eating filet mignon, you're not in a hoosegow.
Confusing "absquatulate" with "arrive."
âś“ Use "absquatulate" to mean fleeing, absconding, or leaving abruptly.
Explanation: Absquatulate means to leave quickly, often to avoid punishment or capture, not to show up.
Tip: It has "squat" in it; you are leaving your squatting spot.
Correct vs. Incorrect Examples
Contextual usage comparisons.
Incorrect / Awkward
The elegant ballerina was a total flibbertigibbet on stage.
Correct / Poetic
The chatty, distracted girl was a total flibbertigibbet.
Incorrect / Awkward
The puzzle was so easy it completely bumfuzzled me.
Correct / Poetic
The puzzle was so hard it completely bumfuzzled me.
Incorrect / Awkward
He ate his pizza with a fork to prevent eructation.
Correct / Poetic
He drank the soda too fast, leading to a loud eructation.
Incorrect / Awkward
The polished, straight picture frame looked cattywampus.
Correct / Poetic
The crooked, tilted picture frame looked cattywampus.
Incorrect / Awkward
The politician was praised for being a snollygoster.
Correct / Poetic
The voters rejected the snollygoster because of his corruption.
Incorrect / Awkward
I love listening to the malarkey of the nature documentary.
Correct / Poetic
I don't believe his malarkey about seeing a UFO.
Incorrect / Awkward
The cat's loud borborygmus kept the neighbors awake all night.
Correct / Poetic
The dog's loud borborygmus meant it was time for dinner.
Incorrect / Awkward
He decided to absquatulate right into his chair.
Correct / Poetic
He decided to absquatulate before the cops arrived.
Incorrect / Awkward
The vase bounced off the rug without breaking into smithereens.
Correct / Poetic
The vase hit the hard floor and shattered into smithereens.
Incorrect / Awkward
The quiet library was full of loud hullabaloo.
Correct / Poetic
The protest outside the building caused a loud hullabaloo.
🎮 Mini Quiz
Test your knowledge with these interactive questions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to common questions.
What makes a word "weird"?
A weird word usually has a bizarre combination of sounds (like "bumfuzzle"), a highly specific meaning (like "gongoozler"), or an amusing historical origin. They often sound silly to modern ears but are recognized in major dictionaries.
Are these weird words actually in the dictionary?
Yes! All the words listed are recognized in major American English dictionaries like Merriam-Webster, even if they are marked as slang, informal, archaic, or obsolete.
Can I use weird words like "gobbledygook" in formal writing?
It depends on the context. "Gobbledygook" is widely accepted in professional writing to criticize bad communication. However, words like "cattywampus" or "snollygoster" are too informal for strict academic papers.
What is the difference between "balderdash" and "poppycock"?
They are virtually identical in meaning—both mean nonsense. "Poppycock" comes from a Dutch word meaning "soft dung," while "balderdash" has older origins referring to a jumbled mix of liquids. You can use them interchangeably.
Where did the word "snollygoster" come from?
It was a 19th-century American slang term, possibly derived from a German word for "snail turtle." It famously faded from use before being revived in modern political commentary to describe corrupt politicians.
Is "borborygmus" a real medical term?
Yes, borborygmus is the actual, official medical term used by doctors to describe the rumbling sounds made by gas and fluid in the intestines.
What does "absquatulate" mean, and why is it so long?
It means to flee or abscond. It was coined in the 1830s as a mock-Latin joke, adding fancy prefixes and suffixes to the word "squat" to make leaving sound grander and more theatrical.
How do you pronounce "cattywampus"?
It is typically pronounced "cat-ee-womp-us." It is a fun, colloquial word used primarily in the American South and Midwest to describe something crooked.
Why do we have so many words for nonsense?
Because people have been complaining about liars and bad ideas for centuries! Words like malarkey, bunkum, and flapdoodle filled a need to call out foolishness playfully without resorting to profanity.
What is a "mugwump"?
Historically, it was a Republican who bolted the party in 1884. Today, it just means a person who remains aloof or independent, especially from party politics.
Quick Reference
A cheat sheet for your writing.
Rule of Thumb: Use weird words to add humor and personality to your writing, but don't overuse them, or the text becomes a confusing mess of gobbledygook.
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