variants
or buncombe
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a cinematic depiction of the Middle Ages that was derided as pure bunkum by historians
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bunkum
Rubbish, bunkum, romanticised bullcrap, fraud, nonsense, baloney.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Putting aside the junk peddling, how much of Madoff’s and Trump’s bunkum do they themselves (for Madoff, did) believe to be true?
—Richard Behar, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
As generative AI is integrated into common search engines and voters converse with chatbots, people seeking basic information about elections have at times been met with misinformation, pure bunkum, or links to fringe websites.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
And in the ultimate exemplification of how an endless stream of content begets pernicious bunkum, John McPhail’s Dear David is arguably the most brainless release of the year.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023
Nevertheless, anti-vaccine bunkum has clearly metastasized to our furry companions.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 Aug. 2023
Brightly lit and filled to their Botox gills with aspirational bunkum, the shows require little by way of mental engagement.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2023
Behind the image was a fair bit of bunkum.
—James Gleick, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2021
The Telegraph's article immediately drew sharp responses from other journalists, who dismissed the report as bunkum.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2010
George Caulkin, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
Putting aside the junk peddling, how much of Madoff’s and Trump’s bunkum do they themselves (for Madoff, did) believe to be true?
—Richard Behar, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
As generative AI is integrated into common search engines and voters converse with chatbots, people seeking basic information about elections have at times been met with misinformation, pure bunkum, or links to fringe websites.
—Mekela Panditharatne, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024
And in the ultimate exemplification of how an endless stream of content begets pernicious bunkum, John McPhail’s Dear David is arguably the most brainless release of the year.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023
Nevertheless, anti-vaccine bunkum has clearly metastasized to our furry companions.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 Aug. 2023
Brightly lit and filled to their Botox gills with aspirational bunkum, the shows require little by way of mental engagement.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2023
Behind the image was a fair bit of bunkum.
—James Gleick, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2021
The Telegraph's article immediately drew sharp responses from other journalists, who dismissed the report as bunkum.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 15 Mar. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bunkum
Noun
-
Checkmate has done lots of covert ops spy nonsense in comics throughout the years, and notable works with Batman on occasion.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The new Tron sequel steps outside of cyberspace but won’t leave the sci-fi nonsense behind.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Local services like garbage pickup and libraries may close in observance of the holiday as well.—
Addy Bink,
The Hill,
12 Oct. 2025
-
As those flies landed, so did Stop Sale Orders on all that food that got thrown in the garbage.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
Pynchon’s absurdism is his way of grappling with and undermining the awful too-muchness and stupidity of it all — especially of the American project and its many tentacles.—
Jack Denton,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
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The only reason for this incessant stupidity?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Otherwise, a spectacle that’s supposed to be an ode to the power of Hollywood hokum simply becomes the minor-key embodiment of it.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Let’s dive in and see what the hype, and the hokum (because there is some), is all about.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Some are eager to make the comparison; others denounce it as hogwash and misappropriation.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Josh Robbins: The notion there should be an asterisk next to the Lakers’ title is hogwash.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This is Spielberg at his most pure and sensational, an undiluted cinematic experience that lacks any of his sentimental claptrap and steers clear of his tendency for multiple endings.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
-
Third, despite Trump’s claptrap, plenty of fresh delta water is being pumped south to fill fire hydrants and the tanks of firefighting aircraft.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Regardless, concerns that the series’ delay was due to quality problems have proved to be viral poppycock.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
27 June 2025
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Buckingham Palace simply couldn’t abide someone in its circle saying poppycock.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Bunkum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bunkum. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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