woo woo
See also: woo-woo
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wuː.wuː/
Etymology 1
Uncertain. It has been suggested that "woo woo" is intended to imitate the eerie background music of sci-fi/horror films and television shows.
Alternative forms
- woo-woo
- woo
- woowoo
Noun
woo woo (countable and uncountable, plural woo woos)
- (slang, derogatory) A person readily accepting supernatural, paranormal, occult, or pseudoscientific phenomena, or emotion-based beliefs and explanations.
- That reporter is a bit of a woo woo.
- (slang, derogatory) Those beliefs.
- He is really into all that woo woo.
- 2017 May 16, Kevin R, “When your food is a sin against God”, in alt.atheism, Usenet, message-ID <500f03b2-b72d-44cc-aff3-c45aec3d3da8@googlegroups.com>:
- [...] there would still be realists who did not buy the woo-woo.
Adjective
woo woo (comparative more woo woo, superlative most woo woo)
- (slang, derogatory) Supernatural, pseudoscientific.
- He made a living out of woo woo beliefs.
- 2020 April 3, Brigid Delaney, “Elle Macpherson Is Our May Cover Star”, in Harper's Bazaar:
- One person's wonderful supplement is another person's quackery. There are continual skirmishes—if not outright war—between some of the more woo-woo elements of the wellness industry and science and fact-based solutions.
- (slang, derogatory) Readily accepting supernatural, paranormal, occult, or pseudoscientific phenomena, or emotion-based beliefs and explanations.
- 2005 April 18, “What the (Bleep) Were They Thinking?”, in Skeptico, retrieved 2020-09-12:
- Pert is a talented scientist who went woo woo many years ago for reasons I don’t have time to go into here.
- 2016, Melissa Broder, So Sad Today:
- Open-minded and vaguely woo-woo herself, she, too, left Jeffrey's chamber of Yoni floating.
- 2020 April 8, Marisa Meltzer, “Gwyneth Paltrow Has the Last Laugh”, in Town & Country:
- Paltrow’s family wasn’t especially woo-woo.
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References
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary (added February 2017)
- Skeptic's Dictionary
- Double-Tongued Dictionary
- Watching you (archived version)
- Insolitology (The Woo-Woo Dictionary)
- The Woo-Woo Stuff: Musings on the Metaphysical (archived version)
- Straight Dope Message Board: From whence and when did the term "Woo" as a term for crackpottery come to prominence?, post 36
Etymology 2
Unknown.
Noun
woo woo (plural woo woos)
- An alcoholic cocktail consisting of peach schnapps, vodka and cranberry juice.
Etymology 3
Imitative of a siren.
Noun
woo woo (plural woo woos)
- (childish) The sound of a siren.