nonsense

American  

[non-sens, -suhns] / ˈnɒn sɛns, -səns /

noun

1. words or language having little or no sense or meaning.

   Synonyms:

   twaddle, trumpery, trash, tommyrot, rubbish, rot, poppycock, piffle, moonshine, humbug, hooey, hokum, guff, gibberish, foolishness, folderol, flapdoodle, fiddle-faddle, drivel, bunk, bull, bosh, blether, blatherskite, blather, blarney, bilge water, bilge, baloney, balderdash

2. conduct, action, etc., that is senseless, foolish, or absurd.

   to have tolerated enough nonsense.

3. impudent, insubordinate, or otherwise objectionable behavior.

   He doesn't have to take that nonsense from you.

4. something absurd or fatuous.

   the utter nonsense of such a suggestion.

5. anything of trifling importance or of little or no use.

6. Genetics. a DNA sequence that does not code for an amino acid and is not transcribed (sense ).

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nonsense British  

/ nɒnˈsɛnsɪkəl, ˈnɒnsəns /

noun

1. something that has or makes no sense; unintelligible language; drivel

2. conduct or action that is absurd

3. foolish or evasive behaviour or manners

   she'll stand no nonsense

4. See no-nonsense

5. things of little or no value or importance; trash

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interjection

1. an exclamation of disagreement

nonsense Scientific  

/ nŏn′sĕns′ /

1. Relating to a mutation in a structural gene that changes a nucleotide triplet into a stop codon, thus prematurely terminating the polypeptide chain during protein synthesis.

2. See more at point mutation

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nonsense Idioms  

1. see stuff and nonsense.

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Other Word Forms

• nonsensical adjective
• nonsensically adverb
• nonsensicalness noun

Etymology

Origin of nonsense

First recorded in 1605–15; non- + sense

Example Sentences

If thousands of people waiting in TSA security lines could see them bypassing a problem they created, this nonsense would be over.

From The Wall Street Journal

Life was confusing enough at fifteen, so I never pursued it when people mentioned these nonexistent places, and now here was my own uncle saying the same nonsense.

From Literature

She was a small, gray bird—a grouse, to be specific—though Clare never would have guessed it beneath all the nonsense.

From Literature

Russia on Monday kicked out a British diplomat over allegations he was working as a spy -- charges rejected by London as "complete nonsense".

From Barron's

There’s a lot less backstabbing and reality nonsense that you saw in the earlier seasons.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absurdity
• babble
• baloney
• bunk
• craziness
• drivel
• folly
• foolishness
• gibberish
• madness
• rubbish
• silliness
• stupidity
• trash