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

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

You dismiss heritage as “unctuous twaddle about ancestral bravery in war.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2020

“All that really matters,” she said to me one morning, “is that you kids learn to read. That other twaddle is just brainwashing.”

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2013

Look at Wordsworth; in his lifetime the general reading public considered him a prosy old gentleman, who twaddled pleasantly about lakes and mountains, and pretty little peasant girls.

From Vixen, Volume III. by Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)

We twaddled a great deal over the speech.

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

All that day, morning, afternoon, and evening, I laboured or twaddled at arithmetic with Mr. Howse.

From Story of My Life, volumes 1-3 by Hare, Augustus J. C.

They had twaddled and stormed about his immorality, but his praise of Napoleon sent them into diabolic frenzy.

From The Tragedy of St. Helena by Runciman, Walter

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

He arrays himself as it were in his victory, enthrones himself in his foolishness, triumphs in his senseless twaddling.

From La Sorcière: The Witch of the Middle Ages by Michelet, Jules

Most of them seem to be twaddling stuff, but the first is in a different style—'The Ancient Mariner' is the title.

From Adam Bede by Eliot, George