as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a trendy London restaurant serving bizarre concoctions that anyone with a brain and a stomach would dismiss as codswallop
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Recent Examples of codswallop
Great story, total codswallop, says Skaife, who has pored through the archives and found zip.
—
William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959.
—Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018
Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017
William Booth, The Seattle Times, 26 Oct. 2018
And don’t forget codswallop, a word that sounds Shakespearean but was coined in 1959.
—Stephen Miller, WSJ, 29 May 2018
Mnuchin tried to double-talk this codswallop past SPW.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 19 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for codswallop
Noun
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While countless users dismissed the theories as nonsense, the dog pile had begun causing the hot takes to go viral.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Aug. 2025
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Bon Jovi’s team dismissed word of the tour as nonsense.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The new law also applies to vehicles used to transport garbage, rubbish, trash or debris.—
Mary Murphy,
Twin Cities,
30 July 2025
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When the house was done being used, ancient people cut a hole through the floor and dug the pit, then filled it with domestic rubbish.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
9 June 2025
Noun
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New York City has already begun working with neighborhood groups and activating organizations who sign up to be notified before a big rain to clean debris like falling leaves and garbage from the sewer drains in their community.—
Amy Chester,
New York Daily News,
6 Aug. 2025
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Check garbage collection schedules in Ohio Ohio's bigger cities won't see garbage trucks on Labor Day.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Crawford’s call-up would come off the heels of a trade-deadline performance that left Phillie-Land feeling a little blah.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Transforming from blah to ’90s bombshell bouncy just takes a few good products and tips.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
25 July 2025
Noun
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Economists ascribe an inflationary quality to borrowing which implies impressive market stupidity.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
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Amid all the looming consciousness that our time on earth is precious, there are also specials unerringly devoted to utter stupidity, and even the comedians fixated on mortality are delivering life-affirming material, too.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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West Coast drools: H100 rental pricing is very stable in the United States, but there’s a persistent East Coast advantage.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 May 2025
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The owner tried to explain his reasoning in the video, citing the temperature was too cold and pointing to the frozen drool on his face.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The public is simply not buying it and is looking for an alternative. Enough of the twaddle about how voting Democratic is voting to save democracy.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Jan. 2024
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Perhaps News Nation is trying to assume the mantle of Fox News as a dispenser of right-wing twaddle, or (to be more charitable) of CNN as a sober neutral voice.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Codswallop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/codswallop. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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