blather

1 of 2

verb

blath·​er ˈbla-t͟hər 

blathered; blathering ˈbla-t͟h(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to talk foolishly at length

—often used with on

blatherer

ˈbla-t͟hər-ər 

noun

blather

2 of 2

noun

1

: voluble nonsensical or inconsequential talk or writing

2

: stir, commotion

Synonyms

Verb

• go on
• maunder
• ramble
• rattle
• run on

Noun

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• bustle
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of blather in a Sentence

Verb

my attention wandered as she blathered on about her endlessly active social life

Noun

listening to a lot of blather from politicians about who's to blame for the bad economy

wanted to retire quietly and without all the blather of an office send-off

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In other words, to blather on about how unremarkable iPhone 16 is compared to the one immediately preceding it completely misses the forest for the trees. —Steven Aquino, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

But who needs to blather on when there is a brisk 90-minute set of lush ‘70s and ‘80s classics to administer? —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2024

Noun

The world of Rudolph’s movie is awash in the blather and squall of media. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2025

Trust us, Globes producers: This kind of blather is far more likely to make viewers turn the channel than watching pretty people walk past other pretty people for a few seconds. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Old Norse blathra; akin to Middle High German blōdern to chatter

First Known Use

Verb

1524, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for blather

• gather
• lather
• rather