as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
the belief that soda is made out of acid is just piffle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to muddle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piffle
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The Ritz, a smart London hotel where Margaret Thatcher spent her last days, is in fine fettle, turning a neat annual profit and valued in the region of £800m—not bad for a property bought for a piffling £75m in 1995.
—The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023
The whole story now seems like so much piffle, except for the sons who lost their mother and a princess who lost her life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021
People who are too cowardly to put their names behind their allegations are hiding in the shadows, using the anonymity of dark money laws to try to raise doubts in the minds of voters by spreading inflammatory charges that amount to piffle.
—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2021
It’s a not-quite-living imitation of a movie, a self-parody that lacks even a touch of humor—because, at the slightest sting of wit, its entire membrane of fakery would burst and leave hardly a piffle of vapor behind.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2021
To note that Gloria!, the directing debut of Italian actor-singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario, is vapid, pseudo-feminist, sentimental piffle would be entirely accurate.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
And what The New Yorker saw happening most of all was Charlie Chaplin, who figures prominently in the magazine’s first year, in contexts ranging from pithy to piffling.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The Ritz, a smart London hotel where Margaret Thatcher spent her last days, is in fine fettle, turning a neat annual profit and valued in the region of £800m—not bad for a property bought for a piffling £75m in 1995.
—The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019
Verb
That may not sound like a virtue, but in a world where horror comes either overloaded with metaphor or reduced to bloody piffle, Cregger valiantly navigates an unnerving middle way.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023
The whole story now seems like so much piffle, except for the sons who lost their mother and a princess who lost her life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021
People who are too cowardly to put their names behind their allegations are hiding in the shadows, using the anonymity of dark money laws to try to raise doubts in the minds of voters by spreading inflammatory charges that amount to piffle.
—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2021
It’s a not-quite-living imitation of a movie, a self-parody that lacks even a touch of humor—because, at the slightest sting of wit, its entire membrane of fakery would burst and leave hardly a piffle of vapor behind.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2021
To note that Gloria!, the directing debut of Italian actor-singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario, is vapid, pseudo-feminist, sentimental piffle would be entirely accurate.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffle
Noun
-
Reid, who would know, says that’s nonsense.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Not to mention the Epstein files nonsense.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
So, Horn’s opportunity for activation seems muddled at best — justified or not.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Every school was feeling its way around to some degree when the NCAA rule changes arrived in the summer of 2021, and myriad state laws muddled the picture even further.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Near my hotel, a few blocks from the Torre K23, there were several dumpsters overflowing with garbage.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
There's a different take on a post apocalyptic universe where the world is made of plastic and not garbage.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While the wreath is full, some shoppers suggest fluffing it out a bit before hanging.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
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Housed in a tube that’s significantly bigger than most brow gels, the fatter, curved side of the spoolie brush applies the product and fluffs up brows, while the flat side arranges arches.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Locating and identifying seabed rubbish that's prime for removal is undertaken via onboard sonar and a vision camera, plus AI processing, to help the robot recognize trash and determine where best to grab on.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Sep. 2025
-
My pile begins as a load of raw if purposeful rubbish, a rough draft that with time and effort is refined into a finished product put to immediate use.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Long before the clock almost expired on the Packers, there was yet another special teams blunder that turned the tide on a game seemingly destined for a blowout.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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Read All About It A Missouri woman was sentenced to more than four years in prison in a brazen and blundering attempt to steal Graceland from the family of Elvis Presley.—
Christian Orozco,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Just one or two nuts can cover your daily needs.—
Morgan Pearson,
Verywell Health,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Spoon any topping and nuts in pan onto loaf.—
Katlyn Moncada,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The magician boggled audiences with his card tricks and fantastical illusions.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
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There’s so much richness happening in the lives of these characters, genuinely, and that boggles my mind.—
Ramin Setoodeh,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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