as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
the novel's elaborate theory detailing a supposed 2,000-year-old conspiracy is mostly tiresome twaddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of twaddle
The public is simply not buying it and is looking for an alternative.
Enough of the twaddle about how voting Democratic is voting to save democracy.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2024
Perhaps News Nation is trying to assume the mantle of Fox News as a dispenser of right-wing twaddle, or (to be more charitable) of CNN as a sober neutral voice.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2023
On the other end are people like Yann LeCun, who reject such scenarios as sci-fi twaddle.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 June 2023
Brett calls Hal to trade pretentious literary references, chit-chat about the business of books and other time-sucking twaddle.
—oregonlive, 16 May 2023
No, not the usual twaddle about manipulative crowd-pleasers like cats, dogs, ferrets or budgies, which are programmed to be cute, but stories like the recent one in the Journal about goats that are helping to fight fires in rural Australia by gobbling up potential tinder.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Much of the research and the dissemination of this twaddle is funded by the Gates Foundation, which last year spent $642 million for its U.S. program, including Pathways and other initiatives that focus on eliminating white supremacy from math.
—Kenin M. Spivak, National Review, 16 Sep. 2021
Before long, Limbaugh had attracted an audience of 20 million a day by spewing wildly racist, xenophobic and sexist bile and wildly untrue twaddle about everything from climate to tobacco to the number of murders committed by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
—Al Franken, Star Tribune, 11 Nov. 2020
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2024
Perhaps News Nation is trying to assume the mantle of Fox News as a dispenser of right-wing twaddle, or (to be more charitable) of CNN as a sober neutral voice.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2023
On the other end are people like Yann LeCun, who reject such scenarios as sci-fi twaddle.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 21 June 2023
Brett calls Hal to trade pretentious literary references, chit-chat about the business of books and other time-sucking twaddle.
—oregonlive, 16 May 2023
No, not the usual twaddle about manipulative crowd-pleasers like cats, dogs, ferrets or budgies, which are programmed to be cute, but stories like the recent one in the Journal about goats that are helping to fight fires in rural Australia by gobbling up potential tinder.
—Joe Queenan, WSJ, 20 Jan. 2022
Much of the research and the dissemination of this twaddle is funded by the Gates Foundation, which last year spent $642 million for its U.S. program, including Pathways and other initiatives that focus on eliminating white supremacy from math.
—Kenin M. Spivak, National Review, 16 Sep. 2021
Before long, Limbaugh had attracted an audience of 20 million a day by spewing wildly racist, xenophobic and sexist bile and wildly untrue twaddle about everything from climate to tobacco to the number of murders committed by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
—Al Franken, Star Tribune, 11 Nov. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twaddle
Noun
-
No gimmicks, no nonsense, straight shooter, the woman who gets things done.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
This was the nonsense that was going on here last week, just like every week.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And the magic elixir is able to turn garbage into Jan Ravnik, Swift's pinup backup dancer.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Every winter, construction machines work around the clock to clear tons of garbage — plastic, furniture, medical waste — clogging the Drina River.—
Eldar Emric,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Piles of human scraps offer a bottomless buffet to wildlife, and to access that bounty, animals need to be bold enough to rummage through human rubbish but not so bold as to become a threat to people.—
Marina Wang,
Scientific American,
14 Nov. 2025
-
Helga once wrestled down a drunk fisherman in the Café, a man of above-average size, and then threw him out like a piece of rubbish; Jens thus transfers most of his weight automatically to her; who is this kid, by the way?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Mediterranean diet has nuts, beans and fish as primary sources of protein, and MyPlate focuses on lean meats as well.—
Madeline Holcombe,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Avoid allergens While most multivitamin companies avoid using common allergens like soy, nuts and dairy, some share production facilities.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
There is plenty of silliness in this year’s commercials.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The silliness betrays the seriousness.—
J. Aaron Sanders,
STAT,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Switch Out Your Throw Pillows Bringing some new throw pillows into the mix can take your living room from blah to beautiful, designers say.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In other words, our complexion is looking pallid, our skin is dry, and our overall appearance is just a little blah at the moment.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Huw just spazzes out most of the time, and Patrick is incredibly transparent and succeeds more because of luck and the stupidity of others rather than his own intellect.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
My love of the theater and my love of the people who dedicate their life to creativity and the kind of highs and lows of that life, and the silliness and stupidity of that life, and the moments of elegiac grace.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In one image—a favorite of mine—a man lies on an expanse of sand, cradling a smiling child, whose drool is pooling on the man’s shirtless chest.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2025
-
Lotte looks down at drips of drool on the green rubber mat that covers her desk.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Twaddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twaddle. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
