1
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
that critic's reviews are nothing but self-important drivel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in babble
unintelligible or meaningless talk
my roommate talks in her sleep, but it's just drivel
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in to chatter
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
he driveled on about his "distinguished" family for what seemed like hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drivel
Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Some of it is certainly unlistenable, but the gems outweigh the drivel.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 23 July 2025
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Dec. 2023
Gretchen Bender superimposes potent phrases or ideas onto television screens blaring out the usual stream of nonsense, drivel and enticement.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drivel
Noun
Poison for one’s brand, such corporate drivel undermines trust in you and your company, turning away prospects.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Some of it is certainly unlistenable, but the gems outweigh the drivel.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 23 July 2025
Verb
Our campuses are a mess — citadels of conformism and drivel.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Dec. 2023
Gretchen Bender superimposes potent phrases or ideas onto television screens blaring out the usual stream of nonsense, drivel and enticement.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drivel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drivel
Noun
-
Subsequent rulings expanded the assault on our electoral system, including Citizens United, which equates people to corporations — more nonsense.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
-
There will be times when too much time on my hands leads to nonsense, like deep character dives on Instagram regarding the wives of ex-boyfriends.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Now the babble about them is back.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Mesopotamian corpses, stirred by the babble of trade, wander the halls wrapped in shrouds of extravagant malice.—
David Velasco,
Harpers Magazine,
18 Dec. 2023
Verb
-
This indulgent treat already has fans drooling—and many Costco members have been running to their local bakeries to see if the Cookie Bar Cake is still in stock.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Jan. 2026
-
That’s a job for Hankton, who will still have an immensely talented unit, one most coaches would drool over.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In his masterful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, ghouls and spirits keep chattering away, as if at a corner barbershop, while Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead 11-year-old son, Willie.—
Pico Iyer,
Air Mail,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Voices chattering in Yiddish mingle with clucking chickens, crowing roosters and accordion music drifting through a bustling outdoor market.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
According to the Wall Street Journal, less than the burning of wood and garbage.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In Churchill, the trash sites have all been bear-proofed (enclosed so the animals can’t graze among the garbage), but not so in Arviat, where Inuit enforcers show up in their buggies to honk loudly and chase the bears away from open-air landfills.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The bizarre reality of daily life in a Southeast Asian scam compound—the tactics, the tone, the mix of cruelty and upbeat corporate prattle—is revealed at an unprecedented level of resolution in a leak of documents to WIRED from a whistleblower inside one such sprawling fraud operation.—
Andy Greenberg,
Wired News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Trump prattles on about the economy while the actors freeze behind him in their ancient Galilee garb.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement that officers arrested two people and used pepper balls after protesters did not heed orders to disperse, adding that demonstrators also breached a protest area and spit on officers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The video shows Pretti yelling at a federal agent’s vehicle and appearing to spit into the car.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In videos obtained by PEOPLE, Earle and the former Patriots quarterback, 48, could be seen chatting and dancing together in a club.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
-
On board, passengers chat politics in Finnish dining cars, clamber into couchettes above strangers on the Trans-Siberian, and share samosas on India’s many raucous mail trains.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drivel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drivel. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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