Synonyms

blithering

British

/ ˈblɪðərɪnɡ /

adjective

talking foolishly; jabbering
informal stupid; foolish

you blithering idiot

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blithering

C19: variant of _blather + _-ing ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I defy you to tell me what this blithering piffle actually means.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

"It's his achievement. I'm in the background blithering away."

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2022

It is not only harmful to individual nations, but it is having a blithering effect on multilateral cooperation to address global security, economic and climate issues.

From Seattle Times • May 4, 2022

Miller took one of the better-known characters from Stephen King's ginormous novel and transformed him into a slavering, blithering idiot, adding one more thing to despise atop a mountain of mediocrity.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2021

"You blithering bumpkin!" screeched The Grand High Witch.

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023