as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
the idea that you can get a cold from not dressing warmly is claptrap
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in mechanical
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of claptrap
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
Many Red Sox fans have had it up to here with that building-for-the-future claptrap, so much so that expectations were scary low coming into the 2024 season.
—Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
That meant rolling home with bloody scrapes full of gravel past old farmhouses cheap enough for mailmen and jazz musicians to buy, build claptrap chicken coops and grow weed in the backyard.
—Daniel Duane, New York Times, 30 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for claptrap
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
Many Red Sox fans have had it up to here with that building-for-the-future claptrap, so much so that expectations were scary low coming into the 2024 season.
—Steve Buckley, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
That meant rolling home with bloody scrapes full of gravel past old farmhouses cheap enough for mailmen and jazz musicians to buy, build claptrap chicken coops and grow weed in the backyard.
—Daniel Duane, New York Times, 30 May 2023
See All Example Sentences for claptrap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claptrap
Noun
-
This is why all the whining and complaining from small market teams across the sport is manipulative nonsense.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Or from whatever this risibly self-serious metaphysical nonsense about performance and possession, creation and exorcism, aims to be.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Driving through deep water can also affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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Driving through deep water can also negatively affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For example, the EV mandate would be imposed on a company like Waste Management which pays the local government a franchise fee for the exclusive right to provide garbage collection services to all the residents.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
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But the temporary solution for many buildings is asking residents to fill in as volunteer cleaners, garbage schleppers, and greeters.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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How hypocritical that of me, Amy, and Gretchen, the only one married is me.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
That’s not just awkward; that’s hypocritical.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mulhouse Public Prosecutor Nicolas Heitz speaks to the press after a boy was discovered naked and malnourished on a pile of rubbish in a van where he had been kept locked up, in Hagenbach, eastern France, on April 10, 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Even if the stakes feel contrived, just enjoy watching two of the game’s greats go at it with a little something on the line, no matter how fleeting the feeling may be.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
14 Apr. 2026
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Such strong characterizations and go-for-broke performances, especially among the women, make up for some decidedly contrived plotting.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to registered dietitians, a mix of nuts, especially pistachios, and dried tart cherries is the healthiest late-night snack.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
19 Apr. 2026
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Many whole foods are naturally gluten-free, including fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Converting such a one-month jump to an annual rate is meaningless.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
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Some experts said the conclusions were meaningless because the review swept under one umbrella drugs that had shown very dissimilar results and worked differently.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Claptrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claptrap. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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