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Garbling: meaning, definitions and examples

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garbling

 

[ ˈɡɑːrblɪŋ ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

communication distortion

Garbling refers to the act of jumbling or confusing words or messages, often resulting in a lack of clarity. This can happen in speech or written communication and may be intentional or unintentional.

Synonyms

confuse, jumble, mix-up, muddle.

Examples of usage

  • The phone connection was so poor that their conversation ended up garbling.
  • He was so nervous that he started garbling his words during the presentation.
  • The signal was garbling the radio broadcast, making it hard to understand.
  • She had a habit of garbling the lyrics to her favorite songs.

Translations

Translations of the word "garbling" in other languages:

🇵🇹 misturar

🇮🇳 गड़बड़ाना

🇩🇪 verzerren

🇮🇩 mengacaukan

🇺🇦 перекручення

🇵🇱 zakłócanie

🇯🇵 混乱させる

🇫🇷 altérer

🇪🇸 distorsionar

🇹🇷 karıştırma

🇰🇷 혼란시키다

🇸🇦 تشويه

🇨🇿 zkreslení

🇸🇰 skreslenie

🇨🇳 混淆

🇸🇮 zmedeno

🇮🇸 ruglingur

🇰🇿 бұзу

🇬🇪 შეურევი

🇦🇿 qarışdırma

🇲🇽 distorsionar

Etymology

The term 'garble' originates from the Latin word 'garbulus', which means 'a garrulous person' or 'to chatter'. The verb evolved through Middle English before taking on its current form in the 17th century. Its meaning shifted from implying excessive talk to describing the distortion of communication. In modern usage, 'garbling' is often associated with miscommunication, especially in contexts involving technology and media, where signals may get distorted, leading to unclear information being transmitted. This term has expanded to encompass not only speech and writing but also data transmission, where clarity is essential.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #38,625, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.