nonsense

¹non·sense

noun \ˈnän-ˌsen(t)s, ˈnän(t)-sən(t)s\

Definition of NONSENSE

1

a : words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas

b (1) : language, conduct, or an idea that is absurd or contrary to good sense (2) : an instance of absurd action

2

a : things of no importance or value : trifles

b : affected or impudent conduct <took no nonsense from subordinates>

3

: genetic information consisting of one or more codons that do not code for any amino acid and usually cause termination of the molecular chain in protein synthesis

— non·sen·si·cal \ˌnän-ˈsen(t)-si-kəl\ adjective

— non·sen·si·cal·ly \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— non·sen·si·cal·ness \-kəl-nəs\ noun

Examples of NONSENSE

1. I don't know why you believe that nonsense about certain numbers being unlucky.
2. She thinks that astrology is nonsense.
3. Don't listen to him. He's talking nonsense.
4. He was not in the mood to put up with any nonsense from his little brother.
5. If they start pushing each other or some such nonsense, send them to their rooms.
6. She doesn't take any nonsense from anyone.
7. Many of the words in the poem are nonsense.
8. I understood so few of the words they were using that the conversation sounded like nonsense to me.

First Known Use of NONSENSE

1614

Related to NONSENSE

Synonyms

applesauce [slang], balderdash, baloney (also boloney), beans, bilge, blah (also blah-blah), blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull [slang], bunk, bunkum (or buncombe), claptrap, codswallop [British], crapola [slang], crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel [British], flapdoodle, folderol (also falderal), folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers [slang], humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey (also malarky), moonshine, muck, nerts [slang], nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle

Related Words

absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy; absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness; hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery; gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole); double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus

Near Antonyms

levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness; common sense, horse sense, sense; discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom

²nonsense

adjective

Definition of NONSENSE

1

: consisting of an arbitrary grouping of speech sounds or symbols <\ˈshrȯg-ˌthī-əmpth\ is a nonsense word> <a nonsense syllable>

2

: consisting of one or more codons that are genetic nonsense — compare antisense, missense

First Known Use of NONSENSE

1799

Rhymes with NONSENSE

defense, expense, horse sense, incense, past tense, sequence, sixth sense