nonsense verse

noun

1. a form of light verse, usually for children, depicting imaginative characters in amusing situations of fantasy, whimsical in tone and with a rhythmic appeal, often employing fanciful phrases and meaningless made-up words.

nonsense verse

noun

1. verse in which the sense is nonexistent or absurd, such as that of Edward Lear

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonsense verse¹

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

“Alice in Wonderland” author and amateur cryptographer Lewis Carroll wrote stories and poetry that drip with critiques of Victorian mores and governance, disguised as fantastical children’s nonsense verse, inscrutable riddles and shaggy-dog stories.

From Washington Post

All of it is performed in a cascading blend of English, French, and German with Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, and Swahili, not to mention high-speed nonsense verse.

From New York Times

The 19th-century English artist and writer was a serious painter, but he is most loved for his nonsense verse “The Owl and the Pussycat.”

From New York Times

“Fountain” was rejected, but Alfred Stieglitz photographed it for this short-lived Dada magazine, which mixed nonsense verse with editorials that asked, “Where Art is concerned is New York satisfied to be like a provincial town?”

From New York Times

In his younger days, Alfred himself produced some exceptionally funny parodies and nonsense verse.

From Washington Post