nonsense

American  

[non-sens, -suhns] / ˈnɒn sɛns, -səns /

noun

1. words or language having little or no sense or meaning.

   Synonyms:

   twaddle, trumpery, trash, tommyrot, rubbish, rot, poppycock, piffle, moonshine, humbug, hooey, hokum, guff, gibberish, foolishness, folderol, flapdoodle, fiddle-faddle, drivel, bunk, bull, bosh, blether, blatherskite, blather, blarney, bilge water, bilge, baloney, balderdash

2. conduct, action, etc., that is senseless, foolish, or absurd.

   to have tolerated enough nonsense.

3. impudent, insubordinate, or otherwise objectionable behavior.

   He doesn't have to take that nonsense from you.

4. something absurd or fatuous.

   the utter nonsense of such a suggestion.

5. anything of trifling importance or of little or no use.

6. Genetics. a DNA sequence that does not code for an amino acid and is not transcribed (distinguished from sense).

---

nonsense British  

/ nɒnˈsɛnsɪkəl, ˈnɒnsəns /

noun

1. something that has or makes no sense; unintelligible language; drivel

2. conduct or action that is absurd

3. foolish or evasive behaviour or manners

   she'll stand no nonsense

4. See no-nonsense

5. things of little or no value or importance; trash

---

interjection

1. an exclamation of disagreement

nonsense Scientific  

/ nŏn′sĕns′ /

1. Relating to a mutation in a structural gene that changes a nucleotide triplet into a stop codon, thus prematurely terminating the polypeptide chain during protein synthesis.

2. See more at point mutation

---

nonsense Idioms  

1. see stuff and nonsense.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonsensical
  adjective
• nonsensically
  adverb
• nonsensicalness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of nonsense

First recorded in 1605–15; non- + sense

Explanation

Nonsense is stuff that sounds like language but doesn't have any meaning, like the phrase higgledy-piggledy-po, or fwumphy-doo. The most famous nonsense poem is Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky." Nonsense means exactly what it sounds like: not containing a lick of sense. Nonsense words are made up. But sometimes if you say something in a really confusing way, people will say you're speaking nonsense: even though you're using normal words, you don't make any sense. Sometimes people will dismiss ideas that they don't like by calling them nonsense, but you might know better. Little household knick-knacks that have no purpose are also called nonsense.

Example Sentences

The lawyer had cited an unsafe workplace, a description Ackman rejected, vowing to “fight this nonsense to the end of the earth.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

The boneheaded prediction is a sports hack’s loyal companion, and the reliable move is to ignore it, carry on, hope we all get mad about some other nonsense and forget it happened.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

This is pseudo-scientific nonsense, but it’s also dangerous.

From Salon • May 8, 2026

Wilson on Tuesday denied she mistreated women while making "The Deb", saying this was "nonsense".

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

“Honestly. Two hours. I don’t know if I could’ve made myself go through with this if I’d known what nonsense we were letting ourselves in for.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• absurdity
• babble
• baloney
• bunk
• craziness
• drivel
• folly
• foolishness
• gibberish
• madness
• rubbish
• silliness
• stupidity
• trash