fnord

F4N1O1R1D2
/fnɔːrd//fəˈnɔɹd/

noun

A metasyntactic variable, similar to foo and bar.

UncommonScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounfnord (plural fnords)

plural fnords

  1. computingA metasyntactic variable, similar to foo and bar.
interjection
  1. A word (which may or may not be "fnord" itself) commonly held to be invisible to the conscious mind, but subliminally causing a sense of unease or sudden anger when encountered. So used in the Illuminatus! trilogy.
  2. A word defined as having no definition.

Origin

A neologism from the Principia Discordia popularized in the Illuminatus! trilogy.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

frond
Cite this entry
APA

fnord. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fnord

MLA

“fnord.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fnord. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fnord,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fnord.

Source: fnord on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.