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
-
This smacks of fake tough guy nonsense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And then a lot of nonsense, which comes with the script.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His recipe calls for muddling sweet Sun Gold tomatoes and fresh basil, plus a smidge of salt and sugar until juicy; then stirring in gin, vermouth, and ice until well-chilled.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The unease is muddled, and the characters seem less vulnerable as a result.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
People were calling it tacky, brave, MFA garbage, heart wrenching.—
Sarah Adler
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The character of Robbie, a garbage collector- turned-criminal, came to you through a suggestion from someone.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After completing the quick tutorial, Harper quickly fluffed her hair and gave the camera a subtle pose before ending the clip.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Wilson Isidor’s shot was unthreatening enough but Hermansen’s attempts to push it around his post were fluffed, allowing the ball to bounce tamely into the corner.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the police headquarters in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, on Saturday as some burned rubbish on the street and police fired tear gas into the crowd.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Pieces of plastic, including bottles, bags, straws and cutlery, make up two thirds of the rubbish found in rivers around the world, according to a new analysis.—
Jamie Hailstone,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Apple so far has only been able to introduce a few basic AI features on the iPhone while failing to deliver on last year’s promise to deliver a more conversational and versatile version of its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri.—
Michael Liedtke,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Less than two hours after sunrise, with the shadows still blue and slanting hard in a dense growth of balsam firs and spruces, the baby bird blundered into a fine black net strung along the ridgeline of Mount Mansfield, at 4,393 feet Vermont’s tallest mountain.—
Madeline Bodin,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
Rather, the Mediterranean diet simply underscores that the majority of your plate consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, Goldstein says.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Don’t want nuts but still want the crunch?—
Melinda Salchert,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
They are boggled even more when told that the Fed creating a new $10,000 out of nothing for one borrowing bank could increase the total national money supply, currency plus bank deposits, several times.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
31 Aug. 2025
-
So Heisenberg took a conceptual leap that still boggles minds today.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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