Balderdash
noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Senseless talk or writing; nonsense. uncountable
"Where, you cried in the name of Wonder, have you been able to gather together such an old fashioned Bundlement of Scientific Balderdash?"
- 2 trivial nonsense wordnet
- 3 A worthless mixture, especially of liquors. archaic, uncountable
"[T]hey would no more liue vnder the yoke of the Sea, or haue their heads waſht with his bubbly ſpume or Barbers balderdaſh, [...]"
- 4 Obscene language or writing. obsolete, uncountable
"Trugge, therefore, (who has a foul mouth of his own, when he pleases) talked balderdash to Mrs. Sudberry, through the key-hole, which she did not answer, for, indeed, she seems a civil spoken woman, truly [...]"
- 1 To mix or adulterate. archaic
"That which is made by the peasants, both red and white, is generally genuine: but the wine-merchants of Nice brew and balderdash, and even mix it with pigeons dung and quick-lime."
Example
More examples""Hey man! Didn't I tell you, Tom, that I don't eat meat!?" - "Balderdash! You're going to eat it whether you like it or not!""
Etymology
Unknown, possibly from the early English drink of wine mixed with beer or water or other substances that was sold cheaply.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.