non·sense
ˌnän-ˌsen(t)s
ˈnän(t)-sən(t)s
1
a
: words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas
"And the mome raths outgrabe" is pure nonsense.
b(1)
: language, conduct, or an idea that is absurd or contrary to good sense
To regard the struggle for existence as tragic, however, is logical nonsense.—O. B. Hardison, Jr.
(2)
: an instance of absurd action
Today's teenagers are … sharp observers of the nonsenses of adult life and society …—Bernard Trafford
2
3
: genetic information consisting of one or more codons that do not code for any amino acid and usually cause termination of the molecular chain in protein synthesis (see synthesis sense 1)
non·sen·si·cal
(ˈ)nän¦sen(t)sə̇kəl
-sēk-
1
a
: being nonsense or full of nonsense : unmeaning, absurd, foolish, preposterous
asked a nonsensical question—W. F. De Morgan
refused to modify his opinions, even when the plain facts made them nonsensical—Douglas Stewart
b
: characterized by or revealing absurd or foolish speech, thoughts, or acts
subjected to strains and stresses by their nonsensical wives—Irish Digest
2
a
: nonsense sense 3
if nonsensical syllables are used as test material—G. A. Miller
b
: nonsense sense 2
represented by a few light nonsensical sketches—Marc Slonim
nonsensicality
noun
ˌ⸗(ˌ)⸗⸗ˈkalətē,
-ətē,
-i
plural -es
Cite this Entry
“Nonsense.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonsense. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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