jungle
JUHNG-gl
Jungle (noun) means a dense tropical forest thick with trees, vines, and wildlife. Example: “Colourful parrots flew above the thick jungle canopy.”
noun
1
A dense tropical forest thick with trees, vines, and wildlife.
"Colourful parrots flew above the thick jungle canopy."
"The explorers hacked their way through the jungle with machetes."
"Monkeys called to each other deep in the jungle."
2
A situation or environment seen as chaotic, cutthroat, or lawless.
"The housing market can feel like a jungle for anyone new to the city."
"Office politics there is an absolute jungle."
"It's a jungle out there once you leave the safety of the office."
How to use jungle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA thick tropical forest, or by extension any chaotic, every-person-for-themselves situation.
Common pairings
deep in the jungle
jungle warfare
concrete jungle
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Word forms
- Plural
- jungles
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Colourful parrots flew above the thick _____ canopy.
Etymology
From Hindi/Sanskrit jangala, originally meaning rough, uncultivated land, before it came to mean dense tropical forest in English.
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for jungle
See all rhymes for jungle →Frequently asked questions
What does “jungle” mean?
The word “jungle” means a dense tropical forest thick with trees, vines, and wildlife. In plain terms, a thick tropical forest, or by extension any chaotic, every-person-for-themselves situation.
How do you pronounce “jungle”?
“Jungle” is pronounced JUHNG-gl (/ˈd͡ʒʌŋ.ɡ(ə)l/ in IPA).
How do you use “jungle” in a sentence?
Here is “jungle” used in a sentence: “The explorers hacked their way through the jungle with machetes.”
What part of speech is “jungle”?
“Jungle” is a noun.
Where does the word “jungle” come from?
The word “jungle” comes from Sanskrit. From Hindi/Sanskrit jangala, originally meaning rough, uncultivated land, before it came to mean dense tropical forest in English.
Is “jungle” a common word?
“Jungle” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “jungle” have?
“Jungle” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a dense tropical forest thick with trees, vines, and wildlife.
What is the difference between a jungle and a forest?
A forest is any large area covered with trees, found in many climates. A jungle is a specific kind of dense tropical forest, thick with tangled trees, vines, and wildlife, so all jungles are forests but not all forests are jungles.
What is the difference between a jungle and a rainforest?
A rainforest has a thick canopy overhead that shades the ground, leaving the floor relatively open. A jungle refers to areas where dense undergrowth of vines and plants grows at ground level, often where light reaches the forest, making it harder to move through.
Is calling a place a 'jungle' literal or figurative?
It can be either. Literally, a jungle is a dense tropical forest, but figuratively the word describes any situation or environment seen as chaotic, cutthroat, or lawless, such as calling a crowded city 'a concrete jungle.'
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