as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
a combat veteran himself, he could not believe the balderdash he was hearing from whippersnappers with no war experience at all
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Recent Examples of balderdash
Kennedy has elevated threats to the livelihoods of scientists who have resisted his brand of balderdash from the implicit to the explicit.
—
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
While schools do exist in rough tiers of selectivity, size, excellence, prestige and so forth, the idea of precise rankings is balderdash.
—David M. Perry, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022
With that in mind, the experts look at Cannon’s decision and see balderdash everywhere.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022
Declaring himself a victim is not just hyperbole or balderdash.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022
Many experts in finance and digital security have been watching with dismay as consumers and policymakers bought in to promoters’ balderdash.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2022
Sorry to say, that is unmitigated balderdash and completely misleading.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021
The popular myth of important artists being neglected in their lifetimes is for the most part balderdash.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 19 July 2021
The Hill, however, was a happy home for this balderdash, thanks to the famously lax editorial standards that suffuse the paper’s operations.
—Libby Watson, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2024
While schools do exist in rough tiers of selectivity, size, excellence, prestige and so forth, the idea of precise rankings is balderdash.
—David M. Perry, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022
With that in mind, the experts look at Cannon’s decision and see balderdash everywhere.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022
Declaring himself a victim is not just hyperbole or balderdash.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022
Many experts in finance and digital security have been watching with dismay as consumers and policymakers bought in to promoters’ balderdash.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2022
Sorry to say, that is unmitigated balderdash and completely misleading.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2021
The popular myth of important artists being neglected in their lifetimes is for the most part balderdash.
—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 19 July 2021
The Hill, however, was a happy home for this balderdash, thanks to the famously lax editorial standards that suffuse the paper’s operations.
—Libby Watson, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balderdash
Noun
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This nonsense all tracks back to a May 9 visit Baraka, McIver and other members of Congress made to a New Jersey immigration detention center.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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Stop this nonsense [or] your executives and employees will see the same fate… Make the correct decision and pay the ransom.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Allegiance The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, regroups on the garbage planet Anoat, while Finn and Poe go on a secret mission to retrieve a weapons cache to increase their dwindling arsenal.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
25 May 2025
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Duluth, Minnesota, has installed effective and unobtrusive signs at each beach entrance next to a garbage receptacle.—
John Michael Pierobon,
Sun Sentinel,
25 May 2025
Noun
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Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, kale and asparagus are also included in most low-carb diets—as are eggs, cheese, Greek yogurt and nuts like walnuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts and pistachios.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And oftentimes, these cheap items end up as rubbish.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2025
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This never got past the drawing board stage, but the idea kept cropping up again and again with many variations on a circular shape and performance that spanned from interesting to rubbish.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This time, the technique is turned upon classic alien invasion movies of the Golden Age with liberal helpings of pure human stupidity as a seemingly peaceful first contact moment goes awry and gets bloody, leading to a solar system-ending flatulent finish.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
17 May 2025
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Tiny terror is unleashed in this mini alien apocalypse as directors Robert Bisi and Andy Lyon pay loving tribute to classic sci-fi stories of alien invasion and human stupidity using tilt-shift techniques that make the end of the world look almost cute.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Living Better From blah to buoyant, these skills can improve your mood and optimism Why aim towards the ear?—
Andrea Muraskin,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2025
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American Airlines is giving Midwesterners a new way to escape the winter blahs.—
Brandon Withrow,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Depp pushes over a cabinet with dishes, rips open her dress and makes a most unholy noise as her eyeballs go up in their sockets, tongue juts out and globs of drool pour from her mouth.—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
24 Dec. 2024
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Wipe the drool off your tank top, put some pants on, and get out your mama’s basement!—
Alex Perry,
The Enquirer,
6 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Balderdash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balderdash. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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