malarkey
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of malarkey
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; origin uncertain
Explanation
Malarkey is ridiculous or meaningless talk. You might feel strongly that your friend's excuses for not coming to your birthday party are just a bunch of malarkey. You can generally use the word malarkey to mean "nonsense" or "hogwash." If you feel like a classmate is using big, impressive words and speaking in a deliberately complicated way to say something relatively simple, you can dismiss it as malarkey. And one political party might be quick to call an opponent's platform pure malarkey. You can also spell it malarky — both versions are an American invention from the 1920s.
Vocabulary lists containing malarkey
Projekt 1065
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary Heard at the 2016 Democratic National Convention
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
A Streetcar Named Desire
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
In addition to making up pure malarkey, GPT-3 stopped mid-sentence.
From Salon • Jan. 22, 2023
“I have two heroes: Bobby Kennedy. … And no malarkey, Dr. King,” Biden told the congregation.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2023
If only there was, like, an essential guide to how this World Cup draw malarkey works.
From The Guardian • Apr. 1, 2022
Before we discuss anything else, can I congratulate you on getting the word malarkey into a song?
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2021
It’s all that World War I malarkey that gets me.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
