What does thingummy mean?
Thingummy is an informal English noun used when a person wants to refer to something without naming it exactly. It can express genuine uncertainty, as when someone asks about an unfamiliar object, but it is also used deliberately to make speech sound playful or evasive. The word often carries a mildly dismissive or whimsical implication: the object may be insignificant, awkwardly named, or simply not worth identifying precisely. Thingummy appears in everyday conversation, humorous prose, dialogue, and informal descriptions rather than formal writing. It is related in function to terms such as thingamajig, whatsit, and doohickey, though it is less common than many of these alternatives. Its appeal lies in its expressive vagueness: it immediately communicates both “some unspecified thing” and the speaker’s attitude toward naming it. The word is usually pronounced with stress on the first syllable and is regular in its plural, thingummies.
nounAn indefinite or deliberately vague term for something whose name is unknown or is not important. It is used informally and often humorously.
- An indefinite or deliberately vague name for something whose exact identity is unknown, unimportant, or difficult to name.
"He used a small silver thingummy to hold the door open."
"What is that little blue thingummy beside the telephone?"
"The document required several official-looking thingummies before it could be filed."
The regular plural is used in the same informal senses as the singular.
"The box contains a jumble of useful little thingummies."
Thingummy is the word to reach for when naming the thing precisely would defeat the point.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of thingummy
Thingummy appeared in the early nineteenth century as a playful formation based on thing, an English word descended from Old English þing. Earlier variants such as thingum helped establish the form, while the extended ending of thingummy made it sound more whimsical. The ultimate base is Germanic: the English thing is a cognate of words such as German Ding, referring to an object or matter.
How thingummy is actually used
The register is informal and often gently humorous. It may suggest that the precise name is unnecessary, that the speaker does not know it, or that the object is being treated as unimportant.
Easily confused with thingummy
Both words are informal placeholders, but thingamajig is typically the more established and common of the two.