as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a movie about the disaster that's pure Hollywood hokum
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Recent Examples of hokum
From the foothills of the Berkshires arises a venerable strain of American madness, the poetry of hokum—the old weird America of medicine shows and travelling circuses and carnivals.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Ultimately, what saves the movie is the cast and crew’s expert devotion to its polished, well-meaning hokum.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
In past case studies of argyria, a common source is hokum therapies promoted by naturopaths and their ilk.
—Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025
The Tribune eventually admitted in print that its story was intentional hokum.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hokum
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Ultimately, what saves the movie is the cast and crew’s expert devotion to its polished, well-meaning hokum.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
In past case studies of argyria, a common source is hokum therapies promoted by naturopaths and their ilk.
—Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025
The Tribune eventually admitted in print that its story was intentional hokum.
—Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hokum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hokum
Noun
-
Subsequent rulings expanded the assault on our electoral system, including Citizens United, which equates people to corporations — more nonsense.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
-
There will be times when too much time on my hands leads to nonsense, like deep character dives on Instagram regarding the wives of ex-boyfriends.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
According to the Wall Street Journal, less than the burning of wood and garbage.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In Churchill, the trash sites have all been bear-proofed (enclosed so the animals can’t graze among the garbage), but not so in Arviat, where Inuit enforcers show up in their buggies to honk loudly and chase the bears away from open-air landfills.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Morton kosher salt; process until nuts are very finely chopped, about 30 seconds.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Granola One of the original ‘health foods,’ granola contains many nutritious ingredients, such as oats, nuts, and seeds.—
Sarah Anzlovar,
Verywell Health,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Hellmann’s is hoping a healthy does of silliness will help its Super Bowl recipe.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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But The Moment is too self-conscious to really commit to such silliness.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Piles of human scraps offer a bottomless buffet to wildlife, and to access that bounty, animals need to be bold enough to rummage through human rubbish but not so bold as to become a threat to people.—
Marina Wang,
Scientific American,
14 Nov. 2025
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Helga once wrestled down a drunk fisherman in the Café, a man of above-average size, and then threw him out like a piece of rubbish; Jens thus transfers most of his weight automatically to her; who is this kid, by the way?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In other words, our complexion is looking pallid, our skin is dry, and our overall appearance is just a little blah at the moment.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
2 Jan. 2026
-
Instead of layers upon layers of neutral greige tones that simply feel blah, embrace contrast, rich tones, surfaces with a patina, and items that tell a story.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Huw just spazzes out most of the time, and Patrick is incredibly transparent and succeeds more because of luck and the stupidity of others rather than his own intellect.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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My love of the theater and my love of the people who dedicate their life to creativity and the kind of highs and lows of that life, and the silliness and stupidity of that life, and the moments of elegiac grace.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hokum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hokum. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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