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
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Lisha speaks nonsense — or is that because she is concussed?—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Explaining exactly why this particular trend, like so many confounding memes and viral nonsense, will travel unbelievably far on the web, and elsewhere, is as easy as painting wind.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Don’t use mulch made from black walnut wood, leaves, or nuts near your orchard.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
-
So in 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases formally recommended parents introduce children under the age of 3 to allergens like nuts.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Stop Sales sent the raw chicken, cut cow foot and jerk sauce into the garbage.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Prosecutors said Hernandez choked Etan, stuffed his body into a plastic garbage bag hidden inside a box and took it out with the trash.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
If your manicure has been feeling a little blah recently, one of the best ways to elevate your look is with the best accent nail ideas.—
Ariana Yaptangco,
Glamour,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Quietly, 2023 lottery pick Taylor Hendricks is also here somewhere after a blah rookie year and a second season lost to injury.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This was due to the incredible amount of rubbish that had been left to pile up inside.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
This is absolute rubbish, calculated to pour gasoline on the growing divide between conservatives and progressives.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That youthful connection continued through other hosts who took over NBC's Late Night franchise, from the serious silliness of Conan O'Brien to the hard-partying glad-handing of Jimmy Fallon.—
Eric Deggans,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
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More than anything, even amid the silliness and absurdities of the medical emergencies, the show’s feel-good moments, which involve people being saved and others working together, depict a deep humanity.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At one point, Pancho is filmed getting a bath in the sink, likely to wash off the drool from his oversized pals.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The trailer opens with Elsbeth — clad in a hot-pink plaid suit that would make Cher from Clueless drool — asleep on a couch behind a pile of pastel-pink luggage in the office of Scotty Bristol (Stephen Colbert), the host of the fictional late-night show Way Late with Scotty Bristol.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Snack Homiez’ back-and-forth, soothing in its stupidity, reminded me of this Kate McKinnon-Aidy Bryant two-hander from 2021.—
Charu Sinha,
Vulture,
19 Oct. 2025
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In Del Toro’s film, the creature isn’t rejected for his loathsome appearance but for his apparent stupidity.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hooey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hooey. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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