1
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
a nonsensical decision that didn't take account of all of the facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
your plan to lose weight through total starvation is completely nonsensical
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of nonsensical
The strange words, nonsensical games and creative play of your childhood might seem ridiculous today.
—
Rebekah Willett, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
Such a result would be nonsensical and a miscarriage of justice to the Bevins and other divorce litigants in Kentucky.
—Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
The language of manifesting your dreams into reality might sound nonsensical or contrived, but to JOP, his magical thinking became his saving grace.
—Andrea Flores
jan. 8, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The speed at which Gen Alpha has been churning out new, often nonsensical, slang has been fast and furious throughout 2025.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 Dec. 2025
According to Sameer Vohra, pediatrician and director of the Illinois Department of Health, HHS’ logic is nonsensical.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
For more than 50 years, America’s official position on marijuana has been seen as nonsensical.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2025
On disagreements, debates, playful nonsensical bits, witty banter, teasing, laughing, chatting.
—Meg Walters, Glamour, 15 Dec. 2025
Once, these frameworks were endearing instances of middle-schoolers making sense of the nonsensical.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
Rebekah Willett, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
Such a result would be nonsensical and a miscarriage of justice to the Bevins and other divorce litigants in Kentucky.
—Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
The language of manifesting your dreams into reality might sound nonsensical or contrived, but to JOP, his magical thinking became his saving grace.
—Andrea Flores
jan. 8, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The speed at which Gen Alpha has been churning out new, often nonsensical, slang has been fast and furious throughout 2025.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 31 Dec. 2025
According to Sameer Vohra, pediatrician and director of the Illinois Department of Health, HHS’ logic is nonsensical.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
For more than 50 years, America’s official position on marijuana has been seen as nonsensical.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2025
On disagreements, debates, playful nonsensical bits, witty banter, teasing, laughing, chatting.
—Meg Walters, Glamour, 15 Dec. 2025
Once, these frameworks were endearing instances of middle-schoolers making sense of the nonsensical.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonsensical
Adjective
-
After the first Roundtable, Survivor stalwart Rob Cesternino — perhaps clued in by Candiace’s absurd conga line ploy to get people out of the kitchen — sniffed out that a murder in plain sight could be happening.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This struck many experts as silly.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Frequent co-stars Johnson and Hart, known for their hilarious chemistry, have played Rock, Paper, Scissors and other silly games in promos for their movies, especially their Jumanji films.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His work is marked by unusual, even bizarre, material choices that encrust spatial compositions reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s innovative open space plans.—
Edward Keegan,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Some unnamed Chicago bartender in the early 1880s had the improbable idea of taking a Whiskey Sour and adding a little red wine to the top, inventing in a bizarre flash of insightone of the great warm weather whiskey drinks of our time.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Set in a perpetually sunny, idealized England vaguely between the wars, The Code of the Woosters concerns the misadventures of man-about-town Bertie Wooster (stupid, amiable, rich) and his impeccably helpful valet Jeeves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Jan. 2026
-
At Amiri’s trial last year, Manly-Williams was brushed off by the defense as the stupidest witness prosecutors presented.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
House’s agenda is to get Cooper to reveal himself as secretly working against Vault-Tec for resistance leader Lee Moldaver (Sarita Choudhury), but Cooper isn’t that foolish.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The Giants would be foolish to pay Harbaugh a ton of money and then not take full advantage of his expertise in the science of winning.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Code Pink is a bunch of insane radicals and someone could have gotten hurt.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Jan. 2026
-
At 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds, Keira is the first to admit she’s not blessed with insane athletic ability.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Finally standing in front of each other, sharing our vows with our closest family and friends, felt unreal.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The final form of the Mind Flayer, that crazy big Lovecraftian thing, looks unreal.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
So that fundamental feeling of powerlessness in the face of larger, ominous and obscure forces doesn’t feel very crazy or conspiratorial to me.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Drinkers sometimes complained that wines tasted weird and crazy, not just wild, and inconsistent from bottle to bottle.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonsensical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonsensical. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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