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

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Etymology

Origin of twaddle

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

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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

See Examples For:

twaddle twaddled twaddling

He told the court he was "just talking twaddle" and was writing things down as he thought them.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025

Even if they lose this case—and I think they probably will—they’ll still have gotten away with a whole lot of twaddle that should have landed them in hot water.

From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2023

To "The View," McCain was more than a spout of parbaked twaddle delivered with tell-it-like-it-is confidence.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2021

It turns out that many things I thought about autism were twaddle.

From The Guardian ● Dec. 24, 2019

School teachers suffer a good deal from having to listen to this sort of twaddle from proud parents, but they usually get their own back when the time comes to write the end-of-term reports.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

“A gift for all of us to enjoy,” The Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner twaddled this week.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2013

The first crucifixion Eden saw he turned as sick as a dog—the first crucifixion Woodcock saw he twaddled in the crucified's ear, left him on the cross, and went on his way well pleased.

From It Is Never Too Late to Mend by Charles Reade

And he twaddled of VON MOLTKE, and his German Army Corps; "Flattering the tax-payers' vanity," and much similar insanity, In a style that lacked urbanity, till the thing became a bore.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, October 31, 1891 by Sir F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand

We twaddled a great deal over the speech.

From A Political Diary 1828-1830, Volume II by Edward Law, Earl of Ellenborough

An occasion for twaddling had come, and this good soul seized it and twaddled into a man's ear who was fainting on the rack.

From It Is Never Too Late to Mend by Charles Reade

If Jules existed in my real life, I'd have started screening calls to avoid her twaddling on months ago.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 27, 2010

You feel that their edgy suburban twaddling may be the way Hollywood heavies really behave in private.

From Time Magazine Archive

He is seated at a table with three other men, twaddling a fat cigar between the finger and thumb of one hand and holding five fanned cards in the other.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

A shortish man with a red beard and an invalid wife: wrote twaddling novels.

From Enter Bridget by Thomas Cobb

All which details, I have no doubt, JONES, who reads this book at his Club, will pronounce to be excessively foolish, trivial, twaddling, and ultra-sentimental.

From Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

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