as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
stories about the inn being haunted are just a lot of hooey
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Recent Examples of hooey
Cinderella Man is unalloyed emotional manipulation, and while the cast all dig into the maudlin hooey — Paul Giamatti is especially good as the crusty trainer — nothing here has the spark of real life.
—
Will Leitch, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
The old line about the 28 gauge having a square load is hooey.
—Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 11 Dec. 2019
Indeed, some devices are more powerful than others, and a few are just plain hooey.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
But as comforting as a toddy may be, the notion of a dose of booze as a cold cure has always struck me as a load of hooey.
—M. Carrie Allan, charlotteobserver, 23 Jan. 2018
The scene where Skerrett has a highland fling with a blond, bearded hunk is more than a wee bit full of hooey.
—David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Jan. 2018
There was a whole lot of narrative hooey to explain the theme, which mostly had to do with caterpillars becoming butterflies, girls becoming women, et cetera.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2017
Contrary to the previous load of hooey dispensed by Junior and the first family, this dude was not a translator.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 18 July 2017
And that 38 percent believes accusations that Trump's campaign conspired with Russian hackers and spies to influence the election's outcome -- and the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the election -- are nothing but hooey.
—Douglas Perry, OregonLive.com, 15 June 2017
Will Leitch, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
The old line about the 28 gauge having a square load is hooey.
—Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 11 Dec. 2019
Indeed, some devices are more powerful than others, and a few are just plain hooey.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
But as comforting as a toddy may be, the notion of a dose of booze as a cold cure has always struck me as a load of hooey.
—M. Carrie Allan, charlotteobserver, 23 Jan. 2018
The scene where Skerrett has a highland fling with a blond, bearded hunk is more than a wee bit full of hooey.
—David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Jan. 2018
There was a whole lot of narrative hooey to explain the theme, which mostly had to do with caterpillars becoming butterflies, girls becoming women, et cetera.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2017
Contrary to the previous load of hooey dispensed by Junior and the first family, this dude was not a translator.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 18 July 2017
And that 38 percent believes accusations that Trump's campaign conspired with Russian hackers and spies to influence the election's outcome -- and the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the election -- are nothing but hooey.
—Douglas Perry, OregonLive.com, 15 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hooey
Noun
-
That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Let’s see if the Pomona Unified School District, which pays thousands of dollars to support its schools’ athletic program, is going to act and stop this nonsense.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The key is building meals around high-fiber foods like beans, lentils, whole grains, berries, seeds, vegetables and nuts.—
Ryan Brennan
June 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 June 2026
-
The company's specialty nuts -- cashews, confections and snack mixes -- follow the same quality standards as its world famous Virginia Peanuts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Veterans’ centers, summer camps, boat launches and garbage pickup could all be impacted.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
-
Any clothes or other materials used to dispose of the broken toy should be put in a separate garbage bag and thrown away as well.—
Parents,
Parents,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
There’s also the logical blah blah that a sequel is good for the greater franchise ecosystem, read viewers will rewatch Star Wars movies on Disney+, etc.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 May 2026
-
Sure, the challenges were a bit blah, but, still, a rousing and triumphant success.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
With no petrol to run dustbin trucks, rubbish is being burnt in the streets.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
31 May 2026
-
Historically, this ash is dumped in piles, mixed in cement, or simply thrown away as industrial rubbish.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
That led to a whole lot of silliness.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Pratchett’s gift was to blend deep philosophy and complete silliness.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
At the same time, the plants unable to detect the molecular signature of the caterpillar’s drool were largely ignored by the wasps.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
-
Hicks can take advantage of the matchup and cash his home run prop at drool-inducing +700 odds.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Don’t just try to be brilliant; focus on avoiding stupidity.—
Nilton Bernini,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Nobody doggedly builds a stand-up career that takes them from clubs to theaters to selling out arena tours from a foundation of genuine stupidity.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hooey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooey. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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