as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a combat veteran himself, he could not believe the balderdash he was hearing from whippersnappers with no war experience at all
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Recent Examples of balderdash
Kennedy has elevated threats to the livelihoods of scientists who have resisted his brand of balderdash from the implicit to the explicit.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
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
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balderdash
Noun
-
All of this exploring and staying open and slow-burn nonsense left us with half the villa coupled up but stagnant — unwilling to stray but unwilling to grow — and the other half hopelessly single.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
-
Sadly, the label would have none of that experimental nonsense.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
In the first images of Read since her second trial, Fox News Digital exclusively captured the 45-year-old wheeling a garbage bin outside her Boston hotel.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
-
Seal garbage tightly in bags, and rinse out bottles and cans before placing in recycling bins.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
North Korea has responded to previous balloon campaigns with fiery rhetoric and other shows of anger, and last year the country launched its own balloons across the border, dumping rubbish on various South Korean sites, including the presidential compound.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
27 June 2025
-
They were were found beneath a pile of rubbish heaped just inside her front door, according to a police report released Wednesday.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Critics often assume ego, stubbornness, or simply stupidity.—
Robert Pearl,
Twin Cities,
14 June 2025
-
The following program will contain graphic stupidity, as four friends compete to embarrass one another – only this time in Lithuania.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
The [Terry] Rozier trade turned out to be kind of blah ...—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
-
Living Better From blah to buoyant, these skills can improve your mood and optimism Why aim towards the ear?—
Andrea Muraskin,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Start with the dragon and its bizarre dog-like face, exaggerated fangs and dripping drool.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 May 2025
-
Depp pushes over a cabinet with dishes, rips open her dress and makes a most unholy noise as her eyeballs go up in their sockets, tongue juts out and globs of drool pour from her mouth.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
24 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Balderdash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balderdash. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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