as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a trendy London restaurant serving bizarre concoctions that anyone with a brain and a stomach would dismiss as codswallop
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of codswallop
Great story, total codswallop, says Skaife, who has pored through the archives and found zip.
—
William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959.
—Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018
Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017
William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959.
—Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018
Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for codswallop
Noun
-
With Sporting well aware of their underdog status and Arsenal feeling fragile after successive defeats, all of this respect nonsense led to, frankly, a dog of a game that felt like anything but a Champions League quarter-final.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
And thus one of the more wholesome and fun events in the White House calendar was besmirched by a man who simply cannot stop with the zero-sum partisan nonsense even when surrounded by impressionable young faces.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Stony rubbish, dead trees, the odd corpse in the garden—nothing that couldn’t be absorbed back into the earth.—
Caroline Fraser,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Is all religion rubbish and still ripping us apart…?—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Down where the Pigeons toiled, two-foot piles of garbage cluttered blocks lined with storage-unit facilities, budget hotels, abandoned RVs and parking lots sealed with rusted razor wire.—
TIM CRAIG THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Her body was found wrapped in blankets and garbage bags in the bed of a second-story room.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, think high-protein and filling breakfast filled with fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, healthy fats, along with herbs and spices like ginger and turmeric (all of which are anti-inflammatory).—
Siya Bhambwani,
Vogue,
6 Apr. 2026
-
To be fair, Dylan is also engaging in some territorial behaviors, like chuckling about Greg’s affinity for nuts and lightly putting a hand on his arm, so keep an eye on that space.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Piccioli sent out a mishmash of styles from all over a fashion map that seems to have been drawn five or six years ago (oversize sneakers, faux couture gestures like capes and feathers and blah sportswear).—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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Selling was easy, even if the returns for McMann and Laughton in particular were kinda blah and the Leafs were unable to execute any major roster shakeup or take advantage of their ability to retain salary.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If not for the stupidity of Joe Biden and the Democrats, ICE would have an easier job.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Smart, skilled, hardworking people gracefully put up with all manner of tragedy, stupidity, and institutional rot.—
Josh Tyrangiel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
My mom’s silliness, her humanness, her imperfections seemed to disappear in the process of repeatedly writing about her struggles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Audiences can take in two shows, with lots of silliness and some heart.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The evidence is irrefutable — a pile of drool atop a drenched spot on your pillow.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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Plus, Helen Jo promised a drool-worthy sour cream and onion dip will be paired with it.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Codswallop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/codswallop. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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