What does "nonsense" mean?
Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning.
Nonsense
/ˈnɒn.səns/ adj, intj, noun, verb
adj, intj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning.
- Grammar: nonsense is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: baloney, bunk, drivel, hogwash.
- Useful contrasts: assertional content, biological explanation, german grund.
- Usage evidence: Don't listen to him, he's talking nonsense.
How to use "nonsense"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nonsense" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nonsense" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nonsense" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nonsense" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nonsense" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "baloney" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nonsense", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning. uncountable, usually
"After my father had a stroke, every time he tried to talk, it sounded like nonsense."
- 2 ornamental objects of no great value wordnet
- 3 An untrue statement. uncountable, usually
"You have seen it for yourselves in the play by Aristophanes, where Socrates goes whirling round, proclaiming that he is walking on air, and uttering a great deal of other nonsense about things of which I know nothing whatsoever."
- 4 a message that seems to convey no meaning wordnet
- 5 That which is silly, illogical and lacks any meaning, reason or value; that which does not make sense. uncountable, usually
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Something foolish. uncountable, usually
"and central banks lend vast sums against marshmallow backed securities, or other nonsenses creative bankers dreamed up."
- 7 A type of poetry that contains strange or surreal ideas, as, for example, that written by Edward Lear. uncountable, usually
- 8 A damaged DNA sequence whose products are not biologically active, that is, that does nothing. uncountable, usually
Verb
- 1 To make nonsense of;
"At the Haymarket all this is nonsensed by an endeavor to steer between Mr. Stanley Weyman's rights as author of the story and the prescriptive right of the leading actor to fight popularly and heroically against heavy odds."
- 2 To attempt to dismiss as nonsense; to ignore or belittle the significance of something; to render unimportant or puny.
""They haven't nonsensed these workouts. They've taken them and used them very well. I didn't know how they'd respond, but they've responded.""
- 3 To joke around, to waste time intransitive
"When he meant "go and get one" he said to go and get one, with no nonsensing around about "liking" to get one."
Adjective
- 1 Nonsensical.
- 2 Resulting from the substitution of a nucleotide in a sense codon, causing it to become a stop codon (not coding for an amino-acid).
Adjective
- 1 having no intelligible meaning wordnet
Intj
- 1 An emphatic rejection of something one has just heard and does not believe or agree with.
"The operators present this as a passenger benefit by claiming it provides early notice. Nonsense! This just means that passengers can't find any information about the train they thought they were catching. It simply disappears."
Antonyms
assertional contentbiological explanationgerman grundicelandic meina
Example
"Don't listen to him, he's talking nonsense."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nonsense"?
Common synonyms include: baloney, bunk, drivel, hogwash, hokum, jive.
How do you use "nonsense" in a sentence?
Don't listen to him, he's talking nonsense.
How do you pronounce "nonsense"?
Pronounced /ˈnɒn.səns/.
Etymology
From non- (“no, none, lack of”) + sense, from c. 1610. Compare the semantically similar West Frisian ûnsin (“nonsense”), Dutch onzin (“nonsense”), German Unsinn (“nonsense”), English unsense (“nonsense”).