Etymology

rubegoldbergian

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Today it means: Achieving a simple objective by absurdly complicated means; overcomplicated, elaborate and impractical. Full definition →

First used 20th c.
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The story

From Rube Goldberg + -ian.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 20th c. Achieving a simple objective by absurdly complicated means; overcomplicated, elaborate and impractical.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.