Synonyms
- applesauce [slang]
- baloney
- boloney
- beans
- bilge
- blah
- blah-blah
- blarney
- blather
- blatherskite
- blither
- bosh
- bull [slang]
- bunk
- bunkum
- buncombe
- claptrap
- codswallop [British]
- crapola [slang]
- crock
- drivel
- drool
- fiddle
- fiddle-faddle
- fiddlesticks
- flannel [British]
- flapdoodle
- folderol
- falderal
- folly
- foolishness
- fudge
- garbage
- guff
- hogwash
- hokeypokey
- hokum
- hoodoo
- hooey
- horsefeathers [slang]
- humbug
- humbuggery
- jazz
- malarkey
- malarky
- moonshine
- muck
- nerts [slang]
- nonsense
- nuts
- piffle
- poppycock
- punk
- rot
- rubbish
- senselessness
- silliness
- slush
- stupidity
- taradiddle
- tarradiddle
- tommyrot
- tosh
- trash
- trumpery
- twaddle
Examples of balderdash in a Sentence
a combat veteran himself, he could not believe the balderdash he was hearing from whippersnappers with no war experience at all
Recent Examples on the Web
While schools do exist in rough tiers of selectivity, size, excellence, prestige and so forth, the idea of precise rankings is balderdash.
—
David M. Perry, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022
With that in mind, the experts look at Cannon’s decision and see balderdash everywhere.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022
Declaring himself a victim is not just hyperbole or balderdash.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022
Many experts in finance and digital security have been watching with dismay as consumers and policymakers bought in to promoters’ balderdash.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2022
Sorry to say, that is unmitigated balderdash and completely misleading.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021
The popular myth of important artists being neglected in their lifetimes is for the most part balderdash.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 19 July 2021
The Hill, however, was a happy home for this balderdash, thanks to the famously lax editorial standards that suffuse the paper’s operations.
—Libby Watson, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said Johnson’s contention that Britain could continue to breeze along with its current free-trade arrangement with Europe after a no-deal departure was balderdash.
—Washington Post, 6 July 2019
David M. Perry, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022
With that in mind, the experts look at Cannon’s decision and see balderdash everywhere.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022
Declaring himself a victim is not just hyperbole or balderdash.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022
Many experts in finance and digital security have been watching with dismay as consumers and policymakers bought in to promoters’ balderdash.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2022
Sorry to say, that is unmitigated balderdash and completely misleading.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021
The popular myth of important artists being neglected in their lifetimes is for the most part balderdash.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 19 July 2021
The Hill, however, was a happy home for this balderdash, thanks to the famously lax editorial standards that suffuse the paper’s operations.
—Libby Watson, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said Johnson’s contention that Britain could continue to breeze along with its current free-trade arrangement with Europe after a no-deal departure was balderdash.
—Washington Post, 6 July 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'balderdash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
origin unknown
First Known Use
1674, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to balderdash
Dictionary Entries Near balderdash
Cite this Entry
“Balderdash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balderdash. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on balderdash
Britannica English: Translation of balderdash for Arabic Speakers
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