nonsense

nonsense
[[t]nɒ̱nsəns[/t]]
1) N-UNCOUNT (disapproval) If you say that something spoken or written is nonsense, you mean that you consider it to be untrue or silly.

Most orthodox doctors however dismiss this as complete nonsense.

...all that poetic nonsense about love...

`I'm putting on weight.' - `Nonsense my dear.'

Syn:
2) N-UNCOUNT: also a N, usu supp N (disapproval) You can use nonsense to refer to something that you think is foolish or that you disapprove of.

Surely it is an economic nonsense to deplete the world of natural resources...

I think there is a limit to how much of this nonsense people are going to put up with.

Syn:
3) N-UNCOUNT You can refer to spoken or written words that do not mean anything because they do not make sense as nonsense.

...a children's nonsense poem by Charles E Carryl.

4) See also no-nonsense
5) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n To make a nonsense of something or to make nonsense of it means to make it seem ridiculous or pointless.

The fighting made a nonsense of peace pledges made in London last week...

It makes nonsense of our own rules governing laws of adoption in this country.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:

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  • NONSENSE — « A piece of nonsense », c’est en anglais courant une bêtise, une absurdité: un «non sens» bien sûr; et pourtant, le terme anglais a une richesse spécifique. Anglais d’abord parce que la langue anglaise en est le lieu sonore d’élection; ainsi les …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Nonsense — es una figura literaria que puede ser en verso o en prosa, que busca generar, juegos de palabras que trasgreden las formas comunes de la sintaxis y la semántica, juegos que resultan extraños, comúnmente humorísticos y absurdos. Literalmente… …   Wikipedia Español

  • nonsense — nonsense, twaddle, drivel, bunk, balderdash, poppycock, gobbledygook, trash, rot, bull are comparable when they mean something said or proposed which is senseless or absurd. Nonsense is the most general of these terms; it may be referred to… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • nonsense — Uses of nonsense as a countable noun (i.e. preceded by a or in the plural) have become common in current use, especially in BrE: • I knew you d make a nonsense of it so I told Wallis to be ready to take over L. Cooper, 1960 • I could only pray… …   Modern English usage

  • Nonsense — Non sense, n. [Pref. non + sense: cf. F. nonsens.] 1. That which is not sense, or has no sense; words, or language, which have no meaning, or which convey no intelligible ideas; absurdity. [1913 Webster] 2. Trifles; things of no importance. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nonsense — index jargon (unintelligible language), platitude Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • nonsense — / nɑnsəns/, it. / nɔnsens/ s. e agg. ingl. [propr. sciocchezza , comp. di non non e sense senso ], usato in ital. come s.m. e agg., invar. ■ s.m. [cosa insensata, assurda e sim.: quello che dici è un n. ] ▶◀ assurdità, insensatezza, nonsenso.… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • nonsense — (n.) 1610s, from NON (Cf. non ) + SENSE (Cf. sense); perhaps influenced by Fr. nonsens …   Etymology dictionary

  • nonsense — |nònsénce| s. m. Aquilo que é contrário à razão ou ao bom senso. = ABSURDO   ‣ Etimologia: palavra inglesa …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • nonsense — [n] craziness, ridiculousness absurdity, babble, balderdash*, baloney*, bananas*, bombast, bull*, bunk*, claptrap*, drivel, fatuity, flightiness, folly, foolishness, fun, gibberish, giddiness, hogwash*, hooey*, hot air*, imprudence, inanity,… …   New thesaurus

  • nonsense — ► NOUN 1) words that make no sense. 2) foolish or unacceptable behaviour. 3) an absurd or unthinkable scheme, situation, etc. DERIVATIVES nonsensical adjective nonsensically adverb …   English terms dictionary

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