rubbish

[ruhb-ish]

noun

1. worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter; trash.

2. nonsense, as in writing or art.

   sentimental rubbish.

   Synonyms: bosh, drivel, balderdash, rot

rubbish

/ ˈrʌbɪʃ /

noun

1. worthless, useless, or unwanted matter

2. discarded or waste matter; refuse

3. foolish words or speech; nonsense

verb

1. informal,  (tr) to criticize; attack verbally

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubbish¹

1350–1400; Middle English rubbes, rob ( b ) ous < ?; rubble

Word History and Origins

Origin of rubbish¹

C14 robys , of uncertain origin

Idioms and Phrases

see good riddance (to bad rubbish).

Example Sentences

Mr Cook launches into his thoughts on the failure to get the railway line to Hull electrified in recent decades, before rubbishing "that book from 20-odd years ago".

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And the whole nation shouted at their screens, wondering why the celebrities are quite so rubbish at catching a traitor.

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It comes as new figures show that Bridgend Council has not prosecuted anyone for fly-tipping for almost 10 years, despite receiving over 1,500 reports a year of rubbish being dumped.

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That included repurposing an old pushchair in order to go round the estate picking up rubbish.

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"We need to stop rubbishing Reform or at least stop rubbishing people who vote for Reform," he said to cheers from Tory activists.

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Related Words

• debris 
• junk 
• lumber 
• rubble 
• trash 
• waste 

When To Use

What is rubbish?

Rubbish is unwanted material, such as something you throw into a waste barrel, like a banana peel.Rubbish is also something that is considered nonsense and not worth anything, like an idea or a piece of art.In Australia and New Zealand, rubbish can mean to criticize or verbally attack. It’s often used informally.Example: Make sure you clean up all this rubbish before you leave tonight.