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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piffle
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
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
The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023
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
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
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
The fact that all those involved in discussing this question have heads full of tosh and piffle does not make for productive debates.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020
Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable.
—The Economist, 28 Oct. 2017
The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019
Noun
Too often, the competing streaming algorithms at Netflix, Max, and Amazon Prime Video push a smattering of undifferentiated piffle.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
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
The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023
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
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
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
The fact that all those involved in discussing this question have heads full of tosh and piffle does not make for productive debates.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020
Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable.
—The Economist, 28 Oct. 2017
Verb
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffle
Noun
-
But water as the power source for a vehicle is nonsense.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
-
The right-wing media complex has a disproportionate presence and is populated by extreme personalities who have no problem embracing nonsense AI imagery and flagrantly untrue reporting that fits their agenda.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
The White Sands footprints further muddled the narrative.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 June 2025
-
Conspiracy theories muddled the truth following the tragedy In the aftermath of the tragedy, conspiracy theories quickly spread online and in the news media.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
In the first images of Read since her second trial, Fox News Digital exclusively captured the 45-year-old wheeling a garbage bin outside her Boston hotel.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
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Seal garbage tightly in bags, and rinse out bottles and cans before placing in recycling bins.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
Vibrant, easy to clean, and sizable once it’s been fluffed up, the wreath can also take your fireplace mantel from underutilized to stunning in a heartbeat.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
17 June 2025
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Simply spend 60 seconds straightening your sheets, smoothing your comforter or duvet, and fluffing your pillows, and marvel at how the chore instantly makes your entire bedroom look neater.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 May 2025
Noun
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And oftentimes, these cheap items end up as rubbish.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2025
-
This never got past the drawing board stage, but the idea kept cropping up again and again with many variations on a circular shape and performance that spanned from interesting to rubbish.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The emerging consensus is that former CEO John Donahoe, who held the job from January 2020 to October 2024, blundered by expanding direct-to-consumer e-commerce at the expense of traditional retail.—
Peter Georgescu,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Six days after blundering to gift Cole Palmer a fifth-minute goal in the the FA Cup, the Brighton & Hove Albion No 1 provided an assist for a stunning touch and then strike by Kaoru Mitoma in the Premier League rematch between the teams.—
Andy Naylor,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, kale and asparagus are also included in most low-carb diets—as are eggs, cheese, Greek yogurt and nuts like walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts and pistachios.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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And like, think about that point of view today is just mind boggling to me.—
Tarun Galagali,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
-
Being in Paris and feeling that energy of the world was kind of mind boggling.—
DeMarco Williams,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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