nonsense

[non-sens, -suhns]

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 (sense ).

nonsense

/ 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

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

Other Word Forms

• nonsensical adjective
• nonsensically adverb
• nonsensicalness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonsense¹

First recorded in 1605–15; non- + sense

Idioms and Phrases

see stuff and nonsense.

Example Sentences

This is total nonsense, as is most of what comes out of HHS these days.

Read more on Salon

These are very well formed thoughts but if you think it’s not, it’s nonsense or noise, that’s fine.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

To him, this whole debate in itself is nonsense.

Read more on BBC

"It sounds like nonsense, but something said to me that if I didn't sign up, I'd be stupid," she said.

Read more on BBC

How many times do I have to tell you: Don’t believe a word of this nonsense sports column!

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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