piffle

American  

[pif-uhl] / ˈpɪf əl /

noun

1. nonsense, as trivial or senseless talk.

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verb (used without object)

piffled, piffling

1. to talk nonsense.

piffle British  

/ ˈpɪfəl /

noun

1. nonsense

   to talk piffle

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verb

1. (intr) to talk or behave feebly

Etymology

Origin of piffle

First recorded in 1840–50; perhaps akin to puff

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

Past administration GPRs, he added, “typically gush strategic-sounding piffle, exhausting readers with laborious defenses of the status quo. This one at least spared us that.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 30, 2021

The script’s insistence on the sanctity of the relationship between an artwork and its creator, and even of the relationships among artworks themselves, is some woo-woo, death-to–“The Death of the Author” piffle.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2019

Perhaps it's too tall an order for such a piffle of a comedy, but “Johnny English Strikes Again” is at odds with itself when it comes to its messaging.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2018

We all felt that it was simply piffle to talk copy-book to one so disappointed as our unfortunate brother.

From New Treasure Seekers or, The Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune by Nesbit, E. (Edith)