as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
the idea that you can get a cold from not dressing warmly is claptrap
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as in mechanical
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Recent Examples of claptrap
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
One is that a Kennedy candidacy that gains any real traction alone will increase the political credibility of anti-vax claptrap, which already has more than enough.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
That meant rolling home with bloody scrapes full of gravel past old farmhouses cheap enough for mailmen and jazz musicians to buy, build claptrap chicken coops and grow weed in the backyard.
—Daniel Duane, New York Times, 30 May 2023
In ours, though, bureaucrats, corporations, and risk managers seem to have grasped that engaging in critical claptrap about popular culture – Marx’s ‘ruthless criticism of all that exists’ – asks easier gestures of them than the work of real administration.
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for claptrap
Noun
But one is accustomed to hearing this claptrap from the right-wing fringe, not from anyone reaching Johnson’s elevated position in the government.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
One is that a Kennedy candidacy that gains any real traction alone will increase the political credibility of anti-vax claptrap, which already has more than enough.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023
That meant rolling home with bloody scrapes full of gravel past old farmhouses cheap enough for mailmen and jazz musicians to buy, build claptrap chicken coops and grow weed in the backyard.
—Daniel Duane, New York Times, 30 May 2023
In ours, though, bureaucrats, corporations, and risk managers seem to have grasped that engaging in critical claptrap about popular culture – Marx’s ‘ruthless criticism of all that exists’ – asks easier gestures of them than the work of real administration.
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for claptrap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claptrap
Noun
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First off, the bulk of the trailer is Shrek and company scrolling through fantasy TikTok courtesy of the magic mirror, which shows dancing Shrek, shirtless Shrek and other nonsense, apparently posted by Pinocchio.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Spouted a bunch of nonsense conspiracy theories about who’s getting Social Security benefits.—
Brian Barrett,
WIRED,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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When first announced in 2011, the Aston Martin Cygnet piqued global interest: a tiny sub 845kg (curb weight) hatchback with Aston mechanical gubbins.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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The concept is similar to reflectors on a runway that help guide landing airplanes, and the LRA can operate without the need for power or mechanical control.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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People will be painting, planting trees, spreading mulch and cleaning up garbage starting at 9 a.m.—
Sal Pizarro,
The Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2025
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Other videos on social media show people picking up food scraps from the garbage.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Conclave depicts the Catholic church at an inflection point, with warring political factions proving themselves vain, self-serving, and hypocritical in their pursuit of power.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
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As resident jester at the maverick journalism outlet The Free Press, Nellie Bowles scours the news for the absurd and hypocritical, and then skewers the best of the worst in her column, TGIF.—
Roy Rivenburg,
The Christian Science Monitor,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The property also grows its own herbs, greens, nuts, berries, and edible flowers.—
Bianca Salonga,
Forbes,
6 Jan. 2025
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Focus on whole foods like fruits, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But — and here’s the punchline most of you already saw coming — despite the many things that have happened since May 2022, Manchester United are rubbish.—
Carl Anka,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
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Seven-year-old Maria and her mother live in their own loving world built on sorting through bins and collecting shiny rubbish.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But that is all quite contrived; pretending this was anything other than a worrying night for Kompany would be disingenuous.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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Eric Dane is cast as Weaving’s bodyguard and only hope of escaping the contrived wedding planned by her obsessed fan.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For some readers, such accolades read as insincere or overwrought.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Feb. 2025
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Honest criticism is rude, and insincere praise is — well, insincere.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Claptrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claptrap. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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