Synonyms of malarkey

malarkey

noun

mə-ˈlär-kē 

variants also malarky

as in nonsense

language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

the old lady declared that everything politicians say is pure malarkey

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nonsense
• nuts
• rubbish
• silliness
• garbage
• blah
• stupidity
• drool
• bunkum
• hokum
• jazz
• balderdash
• guff
• craziness
• claptrap
• twaddle
• hogwash
• baloney
• muck
• poppycock
• bunk
• folderol
• piffle
• hooey
• codswallop
• foolishness
• absurdity
• crock
• beans
• insanity
• tosh
• flapdoodle
• blither
• blather
• madness
• blatherskite
• bilge
• tommyrot
• trash
• drivel
• blarney
• trumpery
• punk
• bull
• rot
• humbuggery
• fudge
• absurdness
• fiddle
• crapola
• horsefeathers
• nerts
• fiddlesticks
• humbug
• taradiddle
• bosh
• fiddle-faddle
• applesauce
• hoodoo
• folly
• moonshine
• hokeypokey
• idiocy
• senselessness
• flannel
• tomfoolery
• slush
• inanity
• lunacy
• kookiness
• asininity
• rigmarole
• foolery
• witlessness
• fatuity
• imbecility
• monkey business
• gas
• greek
• inaneness
• hocus-pocus
• double-talk
• hoity-toity
• hot air
• shenanigan(s)
• monkeyshine(s)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rationality
• reasonableness
• sense
• common sense
• sensibleness
• wisdom
• levelheadedness
• judgment
• horse sense
• reasonability
• discernment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of malarkey

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration agreed to restore some funding for the Office of the Clerk and Recorder, but called malarkey on Clerk Paul López’s claim that election integrity was in danger for the 2026 midterms. — Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025

All entrepreneurs pause and read the above sentence a hundred times and then take all that product market fit malarky and throw it out the window. — Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025

Behind the Nissan Leaf, a driver of an Audi was having none of this careful robot driving malarkey and overtook us both at speed and clearly with some frustration. — Carlton Reid, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025

There’s novelty but not much else with this musical about two vaudevillian sisters who hoof it to Broadway and find showtunes, out-of-nowhere story interludes that don’t fit and a ton of romantic malarkey. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025