woo woo

See also: woo-woo

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwuːˌwuː/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

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. A connection has also been suggested to stereotypical sounds of ghosts (see boo and compare goetia).

Alternative forms

• woo, woo-woo, woowoo

Noun

woo woo (countable and uncountable, plural woo woos)

1. (countable, 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.

2. (uncountable, slang, derogatory) Supernatural, paranormal, occult, or pseudoscientific phenomena, or emotion-based beliefs and explanations.

   He is really into all that woo woo.

   • 2017 May 16, Kevin R, “When your food is a sin against God”, in alt.atheism‎^[1] (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)

1. (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^[2], archived from the original on 13 April 2020:

     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.

2. (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^[3], 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^[4]:

     Paltrow’s family wasn’t especially woo-woo.

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)

1. An alcoholic cocktail consisting of peach schnapps, vodka and cranberry juice.

Etymology 3

Imitative of a siren.

Noun

woo woo (plural woo woos)

1. (childish) The sound of a siren.