What does "rubbish" mean?
Refuse, waste, garbage, junk, trash.
Rubbish
/ˈɹʌbɪʃ/ adj, intj, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Refuse, waste, garbage, junk, trash.
- Grammar: rubbish is listed as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: trash, absurd, absurdity, afterglow.
- Useful contrasts: tight, competent, credible.
- Usage evidence: "What shall we do with the rubbish, Mr Wood?" asked Pip.
How to use "rubbish"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rubbish" 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 "rubbish" 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 "rubbish" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rubbish" 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 "rubbish" is acting as adj, intj, noun, verb, slang 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 "trash" 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 "rubbish", 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 Refuse, waste, garbage, junk, trash. Commonwealth, uncountable, usually
"The rubbish is collected every Thursday in Gloucester, but on Wednesdays in Cheltenham."
- 2 nonsensical talk or writing wordnet
- 3 An item, or items, of low quality. Commonwealth, broadly, uncountable, usually
"Much of what they sell is rubbish."
- 4 worthless material that is to be disposed of wordnet
- 5 Nonsense. Commonwealth, broadly, uncountable, usually
"Everything the teacher said during that lesson was rubbish. How can she possibly think that a bass viol and a cello are the same thing?"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Debris or ruins of buildings; rubble. archaic, uncountable, usually
"That Antichriſt is a man exerciſing a kingdome, the head of the vniuerſall Apoſtaſie, […] the Romane monarchie being diuided and fallen downe, out of the rubbiſhes whereof, he is by litle & litle riſen & increaſed, thorow the power and forcible working of Sathan, […]"
Verb
- 1 To criticize, to denigrate, to denounce, to disparage. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, colloquial, transitive
"In my judgment, it is not Christian—I think that is the proper way to put it—to rubbish the leaders of our trade union movements, both employers' and workers'. [...] The employers are quite right in rubbishing this section. The recently retired Chief Ombudsman rubbished it. The insurance guild, not exactly known as a militant trade union until recently, has rubbished it. Twenty-nine leaders in our community have rubbished it."
- 2 attack strongly wordnet
- 3 To litter. Australia, Commonwealth, Hong-Kong, Ireland, UK, colloquial, transitive
"Speaking at today's (Tuesday) press conference to announce details of the show, Chairman of the Steering Committee, Mr Cheng Chun-ping urged members of the public to sustain their keep clean efforts and to let the message of the campaign slogan -- "There is never any excuse to rubbish your home" stride across the new Millennium."
Adjective
- 1 Exceedingly bad; awful. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, colloquial
"This has been a rubbish day, and it’s about to get worse: my mother-in-law is coming to stay."
Intj
- 1 Used to express that something is exceedingly bad, awful, or terrible. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, colloquial
"- The one day I actually practice my violin, the teacher cancels the lesson. - Aw, rubbish! Though at least this means you have time to play football."
- 2 Used to express that what was recently said is nonsense or untrue; balderdash!, nonsense! Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, colloquial
"Rubbish! I did nothing of the sort!"
Example
""What shall we do with the rubbish, Mr Wood?" asked Pip."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rubbish"?
Common synonyms include: trash, absurd, absurdity, afterglow, afterimage, amphigory.
How do you use "rubbish" in a sentence?
"What shall we do with the rubbish, Mr Wood?" asked Pip.
How do you pronounce "rubbish"?
Pronounced /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English robous (“rubbish, building rubble”), further origin uncertain; possibly from Anglo-Norman rubous, rubouse, rubbouse (“refuse, waste material; building rubble”), and compare Anglo-Latin rebbussa, robousa, robusium, robusum, rubisum, rubusa, rubusium (although the Anglo-Norman and Anglo-Latin words may be derived from the English word instead of the other way around, as there are no known Old French cognates of the word). The English word may be related to rubble, though the connection is unclear. Possibly derived ultimately from Old Norse rubba (“to huddle, crowd together, heap up", also possibly "to rub, scrape”), from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną (“to rub, scrape”). Compare Swedish rubba (“to move, displace, dislodge, upset”). The verb is derived from the noun.