kumbaya
/ˌkum.baɪˈjɑ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.20 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Used to evoke spiritual unity and interpersonal harmony, with varying degrees of sincerity or sarcasm, as referring to the folk song.
noun
Alternative letter-case form of kumbaya.
Example Sentences
- "Dr. Hoffman told me the word kumbaya was originally an African American spiritual, a song that was also a prayer asking for divine intervention, asking for help in dire times, and that then the hippies in the sixties took it and sang it to mean unity amid protest, and then it got played out and became a stand-in for corniness about togetherness."
- "But the rise of multiracialism is not all Kumbaya choruses and “postracial” identity. The N.A.A.C.P. criticized the census change, fearing that since so few in the black community are of fully African descent, mass attrition to a mixed-race option could threaten political clout and Federal financing."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌkum.baɪˈjɑ/