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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in mechanical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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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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That ain't the show, the show is the nonsense that's happening in between John Wick.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
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By contrast, this rising international elite is creating something very different: a society in which superstition defeats reason and logic, transparency vanishes, and the nefarious actions of political leaders are obscured behind a cloud of nonsense and distraction.Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Will a mechanical dispenser be any more precise than standard teaspoons?Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 11 Jan. 2025
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There is something about mechanical complexity, even for its own sake, that just makes some collectors swoon, and just about no complications is as superfluous today as the tourbillon.Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The best response is to stand together and rally around New Orleans, showing all such extremists that their vision of the world is garbage.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
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Clean Cult All Purpose Cleaner Lemon Verbena (Set of 3) $15 Amazon Papaya Reusable Paper Towels Bundle (Set of 6) $54 $46 Amazon Get a combination recycling bin–trash can Keep recycling and garbage separate without the pain of multiple bins with a combination recycling bin–trash can.Bridget Reed Morawski, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Jamie Bernstein considers the attitude hypocritical.Miguel Sirgado, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
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There are several moments in which Stewart comes off as hypocritical and lacking self-awareness.Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
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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In the city center and suburbs of Maputo, mountains of rubbish were piling up.Tavares Cebola, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024
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Not this current rubbish that has been served up and charged at Michelin star rates.Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Her role intends to put a human face on the awful burden fame imposes on those who are sidelined from the ones in the addictive spotlight, but it’s presented in a contrived manner, even though Fanning gives it her all.Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2024
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That finding, the researchers said, came from a contrived scenario unlikely to occur in real life.Billy Perrigo, TIME, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Personalization is key to effective cold emailing, but doing it wrong can make your emails feel insincere or even drive people away.Samuel Darwin, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
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Carolyn Hax: Do superlative compliments start to feel insincere?Washington Post, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near claptrap
Cite this Entry
“Claptrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claptrap. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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