Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dense, tangled tropical forest: A jungle is a thick, often impenetrable forest found in tropical regions, characterized by dense vegetation, high biodiversity, and a hot, humid climate.
   • A place of intense competition or ruthless struggle: Figuratively, a jungle describes any environment or situation marked by fierce competition, confusion, and a lack of rules or order, where only the strongest or most cunning survive.
   • A confusing or chaotic mass: It can also refer to any bewilderingly complex or tangled collection of things.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Literal):
  • The explorers hacked their way through the dense jungle.
  • The Amazon jungle is home to countless species.
• Noun (Figurative):
  • The corporate world can be a real jungle.
  • The city's downtown was a concrete jungle of skyscrapers.

Advanced Usage

• "Concrete jungle": A phrase describing a large, impersonal city or urban area dominated by buildings and pavement, perceived as a harsh, competitive environment.
  • After years in the countryside, she found it hard to adjust to life in the concrete jungle.
• "Law of the jungle": A principle or situation where only the strongest survive, and there is no regard for justice or morality.
  • In that unregulated market, it was the law of the jungle.

Variants and Related Words

• Jungly (adj): Resembling or characteristic of a jungle; densely overgrown.
  • The garden had become jungly and wild.
• Jungle gym (n): A structure of bars for children to climb on. (Note: This is a compound noun listed here as a related term, not as a definition of "jungle" itself).

Synonyms

• Rainforest: A dense forest in a tropical region with heavy rainfall.
• Thicket: A dense group of bushes or trees.
• Maze: A complex network of paths; used figuratively for something confusing.
• Wilderness: An uncultivated, uninhabited region; a state of disorder.

Related Phrases

• To be a jungle out there: An idiom meaning a situation is very competitive, difficult, or chaotic.
  • Finding a good job in this economy is tough; it's a jungle out there.

Noun

1. an impenetrable equatorial forest
2. a place where hoboes camp
3. a location marked by an intense competition and struggle for survival