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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nonsensical
These, too, have been confounding to the point of nonsensical.
—
Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
This was a stupid, nonsensical game but it will — outside of south Buckinghamshire at least — be remembered for all the right reasons.
—Duncan Alexander, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Muscle trucks are a long and proud tradition for American automakers, who frequently compete to make the most nonsensical vehicles possible, like a 700-horsepower Ford F-150.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2026
If the 49ers were to cut Williams in the coming days with a post-June 1 designation, the dead-cap hit makes the decision nonsensical.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
She had been blamed for breaking up the greatest band of all time; her art was pretentious and nonsensical; her music was unlistenable.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 21 Feb. 2026
Wuthering Heights simultaneously puts too much malevolence on Nelly’s shoulders while also making her final decisions sort of nonsensical, even ambiguous.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
This directive as a whole is nonsensical.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
McAdams, who did yeoman’s work in Raimi’s previous movie (the aforementioned Marvel sequel), is the perfect fit for this kind of nonsensical Hollywood role.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
This was a stupid, nonsensical game but it will — outside of south Buckinghamshire at least — be remembered for all the right reasons.
—Duncan Alexander, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Muscle trucks are a long and proud tradition for American automakers, who frequently compete to make the most nonsensical vehicles possible, like a 700-horsepower Ford F-150.
—Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2026
If the 49ers were to cut Williams in the coming days with a post-June 1 designation, the dead-cap hit makes the decision nonsensical.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
She had been blamed for breaking up the greatest band of all time; her art was pretentious and nonsensical; her music was unlistenable.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 21 Feb. 2026
Wuthering Heights simultaneously puts too much malevolence on Nelly’s shoulders while also making her final decisions sort of nonsensical, even ambiguous.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
This directive as a whole is nonsensical.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
McAdams, who did yeoman’s work in Raimi’s previous movie (the aforementioned Marvel sequel), is the perfect fit for this kind of nonsensical Hollywood role.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonsensical
Adjective
-
The government thinks this is absurd.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The movie is also surreal, absurd and crowd-pleasingly funny.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Just cultivating and just feeding that division and those just absolute silly fights.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The point is not to sell her business, not to get more followers, not to create a cult of her own; the point is looking at interpersonal dynamics, getting into conflicts, resuming those conflicts, and then sometimes doing silly things after drinking too much rosé.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In that sense, the content lives to its title as a collection of larger-than-life bizarre elements.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Minutes before his interview started, Cutler, alone in the interview room, had done something completely bizarre.—
Marcelena Spencer,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Of all the live-action shows made by Adult Swim, Three Busy Debras is the most cartoonish; its world is as elastic and stupid as any Chuck Jones Looney Tunes joint.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Anyone who says anything else is stupid or lying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Your fast response and decisive actions prevented this foolish criminal act from endangering the rest of the county.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
The limited series feels equally foolish, down to its last line of narration.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The first six years of the Black Crowes were insane to process.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
-
An optimist and networker with Harpo Marx hair, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2023 for helping invent the HTTPS encryption system and was among the first to take AI seriously, back when AI seemed even more insane.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Still, for many WWE fans, Lee’s return still seems unreal.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Until outlets close to the regime confirmed it, the news felt unreal.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Putting on the fedora and grabbing the whip — like, Jesus, that had to feel crazy.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2026
-
His passions outside of covering baseball are his wife, Gina, his two step kids, two crazy dogs & barbecue.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonsensical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonsensical. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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