twaddle

American  

[twod-l] / ˈtwɒd l /

noun

1. trivial, feeble, silly, or tedious talk or writing.

   Synonyms:

   rubbish, prattle, nonsense, drivel

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verb (used without object)

twaddled, twaddling

1. to talk in a trivial, feeble, silly, or tedious manner; prate.

verb (used with object)

twaddled, twaddling

1. to utter as twaddle.

twaddle British  

/ ˈtwɒdəl /

noun

1. silly, trivial, or pretentious talk or writing; nonsense

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verb

1. to talk or write (something) in a silly or pretentious way

Other Word Forms

• twaddler
  noun
• twaddly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of twaddle

1540–50; variant of twattle, blend of twiddle and tattle

Explanation

Twaddle is utter nonsense. A political candidate may be charming and attractive, but if their speech is full of twaddle, it doesn't make much sense to vote for them. Twaddle is silly foolishness — it's balderdash, drivel, or nonsense. You might dismiss both a billionaire's ridiculous invention and your sibling's fashion magazines as twaddle. If you write a book report for English class without even skimming the book, it will be immediately obvious to your teacher that it's total twaddle. The origin of this word isn't clear, though etymologists know it was originally twittle.

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, former Motherwell and St Johnstone winger Kevin Twaddle, who has written about his gambling addiction, suggested that Barton had been made a scapegoat.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2017

Bridgewater had walked away from the sport following a bronze medal-winning row with Nathan Twaddle in the men's pair at Beijing, having won three world championship medals, including gold in 2005.

From Reuters • Mar. 9, 2016

One of those is Kevin Twaddle, a former player for Motherwell and other Scottish clubs who told his story in the biography, “Life On The Line: How to Lose a Million and So Much More.”

From Washington Times • Jan. 28, 2015

But later Owen misplayed and lost control of what looked like a benign 30-yard shot on goal from Jason Twaddle in the 66th minute and that tied the match at 2-2.

From Seattle Times • May 28, 2011

"I don't drink!" said Twaddle, with a flourish.

From Campaigns of a Non-Combatant, and His Romaunt Abroad During the War by Townsend, George Alfred