tower of babel

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Noun: 1. A legendary structure from the Bible: Refers to the tower described in the Book of Genesis (11:1-11), which was built by the descendants of Noah in the land of Shinar (often associated with Babylon) in an attempt to reach heaven. According to the story, God thwarted their plan by confusing their single language into many, causing them to scatter across the earth. 2. A scene of noise and confusion: By extension, any situation characterized by a chaotic mixture of languages, voices, or sounds where communication breaks down.

Usage Examples
  • Referring to the biblical story:
    • The story of the Tower of Babel explains the origin of different languages.
    • In the painting, the artist depicted the construction of the Tower of Babel.
  • Referring to a chaotic situation:
    • The international conference turned into a modern Tower of Babel, with everyone speaking at once and no translators available.
    • The open-plan office was a Tower of Babel, making it impossible to concentrate.
Advanced Usage
  • Used as a metaphor: Commonly used to criticize projects or situations that are overly ambitious, chaotic, or doomed to fail due to a lack of clear communication or unity.
    • The software development project, with teams in five countries and no common documentation standard, became a veritable Tower of Babel.
Variants and Related Words
  • Babel (noun): Often used interchangeably with "Tower of Babel" to mean a confused noise or a scene of uproar.
    • The marketplace was a perfect babel of sounds and shouts.
  • Babble (verb/noun): While etymologically related, this word primarily means to talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish or incomprehensible way, or the sound of such talk. It shares the connotation of confused sound.
Synonyms
  • Bedlam: A scene of uproar and confusion.
  • Pandemonium: Wild and noisy disorder or confusion; uproar.
  • Chaos: Complete disorder and confusion.
Related Idioms and Phrases
  • A tower of Babel: This is the standard idiomatic form. It is used as a noun phrase to label a specific type of chaotic situation.
    • Trying to get consensus from all ten departments was like building a tower of Babel.
Noun
  1. (Genesis 11:1-11) a tower built by Noah's descendants (probably in Babylon) who intended it to reach up to heaven; God foiled them by confusing their language so they could no longer understand one another

Từ đồng nghĩa