nonsense

noun non·sense \ ˌnän-ˌsen(t)s , ˈnän(t)-sən(t)s \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Examples: nonsense in a Sentence

Definition of nonsense

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

"And the mome raths outgrabe" is pure nonsense.

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

To regard the struggle for existence as tragic, however, is logical nonsense.
—O. B. Hardison Jr.

(2) : an instance of absurd action

Today's teenagers are … sharp observers of the nonsenses of adult life and society …
—Bernard Trafford

2 a : things of no importance or value : trifles

the raincoats are classic, without any nonsense
—New Yorker

b : affected or impudent conduct

took no nonsense from subordinates

The teacher tolerated no nonsense in her classroom.

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 (see synthesis 1)

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nonsensical

play \ˌnän-ˈsen(t)-si-kəl\ adjective

—

nonsensically

play \ˌnän-ˈsen(t)-si-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

nonsensicalness

play \ˌnän-ˈsen(t)-si-kəl-nəs\ noun

See nonsense defined for English-language learners

See nonsense defined for kids

Examples of nonsense in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of nonsense from the Web

But young summer audiences will nonetheless delight in the goofy, low-stakes nonsense the mostly engaging characters generate.

— todd mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Ant-Man and the Wasp': Film Review," 27 June 2018
The idea that this proves the investigation of Trump was fatally poisoned assumes that FBI agents have never expressed strong political opinions before, which is is obvious nonsense.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Latest and Most Insane New Theory for Shutting Down Mueller Probe," 25 June 2018
Lauer is a no-nonsense coach who will get the most out of his athletes.

— richard obert, azcentral, "Arizona high school football teams that could surprise in 2018," 22 June 2018
Don’t miss: Collette LeGrande, the sassy, saucy waitress and longtime performer who takes no nonsense.

— emma silvers, San Francisco Chronicle, "Your guide to the best bars to hit on Pride weekend," 14 June 2018
Both characters are doctors: Akhmed is a bad village physician who never wanted to become one, while Sonja is a no-nonsense surgeon who has returned home after working in the West.

— sarah mupo, STAT, "The 39 best health and science books to read this summer," 25 June 2018
Usually, fans would write off that kind of nonsense as a harmless grab for screen time and, probably, a desperate audition for Bachelor In Paradise.

— refinery29.com, "Has The Real World Completely Ruined The Bachelorette Fantasy?," 19 June 2018
But trolling can also encompass any kind of willfully obtuse nonsense that’s designed to confuse people.

— film crit hulk, The Verge, "Don’t feed the trolls, and other hideous lies," 12 July 2018
All of this nonsense points to the heart of the problem, which is that Janelle’s employees simply do not respect her authority.

— refinery29.com, "The Affair," 2 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonsense.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of nonsense

1612

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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nonsense Synonyms

Synonyms

balderdash, baloney (also boloney), beans, bilge, blarney, blather, bosh, bull [slang], bunk, bunkum (or buncombe), claptrap, drivel, folderol (also falderal), folly, foolishness, fudge, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hooey, humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey (also malarky), moonshine, piffle, poppycock, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, stupidity, tommyrot, trash, trumpery, twaddle;

Near Antonyms

levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness;

common sense, horse sense, sense;

discernment, judgment (or judgement), wisdom;

absurdness, craziness, madness, senselessness, witlessness;

monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery;

gas, hot air, rigmarole (also rigamarole);

double-talk, hocus-pocus;

nonsense

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

Recent Examples of nonsense from the Web

Nac Un Ēd Ganību dambis 30 For traditional, no-nonsense Latvian fare, video and installation artist Katrīna Neiburga suggests Nac Un Ēd.

— laura bannister, Vogue, "Where to Go in Riga, Latvia, the New Arts Hub of the Baltic," 17 June 2018
Union stars as Shaun, a no-nonsense family woman cleaning up the mess her father left behind after his sudden death.

— barbara vandenburgh, azcentral, "Gabrielle Union kicks serious butt in violent ‘Breaking In’," 11 May 2018
Other symptoms include incoherent or nonsense speech, and behavior that is inappropriate for the situation.

— marc siegel, National Review, "President Trump and the Dangers of Armchair Psychiatry," 11 Jan. 2018
The girls around me were singing along, just nonsense sounds, warming up their voices.

— edan lepucki, Slate Magazine, "“Chorus”," 1 Feb. 2017
Coach Butch Jones, entering his fifth year leading the program, set the tone with his Wednesday no-nonsense press conference.

— mike griffith, ajc, "Tennessee football podcast: Team 121 carries quiet confidence into pregame buildup," 1 Sep. 2017
Hoffman supplied nonsense answers, calling himself Cardinal Spellman and claiming his group didn’t exist.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "How the New York Stock Exchange Gave Abbie Hoffman His Start in Guerrilla Theater," 24 Aug. 2017
But that didn't stop members of Congress from opining on the definition of the most popular nonsense word of Trump's presidency.

— cleve r. wootson jr., Washington Post, "Trump tweets ‘covfefe,’ inspiring a semi-comedic act of Congress," 31 May 2017
A nonsense line about the relationship between holes and Royal Albert Hall’s seating capacity.

— nicholas dawidoff, The Atlantic, "How the Beatles Wrote ‘A Day in the Life’," 18 May 2017

First Known Use of nonsense

circa 1670

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

NONSENSE Defined for English Language Learners

nonsense

noun

Definition of nonsense for English Language Learners

: words or ideas that are foolish or untrue
: behavior that is silly, annoying, or unkind
: language that has no meaning

NONSENSE Defined for Kids

nonsense

noun non·sense \ ˈnän-ˌsens , -səns \

Definition of nonsense for Students

: foolish or meaningless words, ideas, or actions

Don't believe such nonsense.

Medical Dictionary

nonsense

noun non·sense \ ˈnän-ˌsen(t)s, ˈnän(t)-sən(t)s \

medical Definition of nonsense

: 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 — compare antisense, missense