Meaning & use
nonsense
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Meanings
noununcountable
Words, ideas, or behavior that have no meaning, logic, or practical purpose.
Grammar: Uncountable: you can say 'a lot of nonsense' but not 'a nonsense' in this sense.
Patterns
- talk nonsense
- a load of nonsense
- sheer nonsense
Stop talking nonsense and listen to me.
The report was full of nonsense about magic spells.
His excuse was pure nonsense — nobody believed it.
interjection
Used as a strong exclamation to say that something is untrue or ridiculous.
Grammar: Stands alone, often with an exclamation mark: 'Nonsense! You can't be serious.'
Patterns
- Nonsense!
Nonsense! I never said that.
A: I'm too old to learn a language. B: Nonsense! You're never too old.
noununcountable
Behavior that is foolish or silly.
Grammar: Uncountable; often used to criticize childish or irresponsible actions.
Patterns
- stop this nonsense
- enough of this nonsense
The teacher told the class to stop the nonsense and get back to work.
I've had enough of your nonsense — go to your room.
Common combinations
- talk nonsense
- He was talking nonsense after the accident.
- a load of nonsense
- That article is a load of nonsense.
- sheer nonsense
- The idea that the earth is flat is sheer nonsense.
- stop the nonsense
- The principal told the students to stop the nonsense.
- nonsense verse
- Lewis Carroll wrote famous nonsense verse like 'Jabberwocky'.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rubbish
- Rubbish is common in British English and can mean both literal waste and nonsense; nonsense is more neutral and international.
- garbage
- Garbage is mainly American and often means literal trash; as a metaphor for nonsense it is more informal and dismissive.
- baloney
- Baloney is very informal and means nonsense, especially in speech; it is less formal than nonsense.
Opposites
Word family
- nonsensical adjective
- Meaning 'making no sense'; e.g., a nonsensical argument.
Commonly confused: nonsense or non sequitur?
nonsense vs non sequitur
A non sequitur is a statement that does not logically follow from what was said before; nonsense is broader and means anything meaningless or absurd.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
Nonsense is uncountable, so it is used without 'a' or a plural form. 'Talking nonsense' is a common collocation. The other options incorrectly treat it as countable.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonsense”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.