as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
the belief that soda is made out of acid is just piffle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to muddle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piffle
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
To note that Gloria!, the directing debut of Italian actor-singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario, is vapid, pseudo-feminist, sentimental piffle would be entirely accurate.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023
People who are too cowardly to put their names behind their allegations are hiding in the shadows, using the anonymity of dark money laws to try to raise doubts in the minds of voters by spreading inflammatory charges that amount to piffle.
—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2021
The whole story now seems like so much piffle, except for the sons who lost their mother and a princess who lost her life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021
It’s a not-quite-living imitation of a movie, a self-parody that lacks even a touch of humor—because, at the slightest sting of wit, its entire membrane of fakery would burst and leave hardly a piffle of vapor behind.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2021
The fact that all those involved in discussing this question have heads full of tosh and piffle does not make for productive debates.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020
Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable.
—The Economist, 28 Oct. 2017
The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019
Noun
Too often, the competing streaming algorithms at Netflix, Max, and Amazon Prime Video push a smattering of undifferentiated piffle.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
To note that Gloria!, the directing debut of Italian actor-singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario, is vapid, pseudo-feminist, sentimental piffle would be entirely accurate.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023
People who are too cowardly to put their names behind their allegations are hiding in the shadows, using the anonymity of dark money laws to try to raise doubts in the minds of voters by spreading inflammatory charges that amount to piffle.
—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2021
The whole story now seems like so much piffle, except for the sons who lost their mother and a princess who lost her life.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021
It’s a not-quite-living imitation of a movie, a self-parody that lacks even a touch of humor—because, at the slightest sting of wit, its entire membrane of fakery would burst and leave hardly a piffle of vapor behind.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2021
The fact that all those involved in discussing this question have heads full of tosh and piffle does not make for productive debates.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020
Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable.
—The Economist, 28 Oct. 2017
Verb
The Ritz, a smart London hotel where Margaret Thatcher spent her last days, is in fine fettle, turning a neat annual profit and valued in the region of £800m—not bad for a property bought for a piffling £75m in 1995.
—The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piffle
Noun
-
But the Dutton nephew is not hearing any of that nonsense.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The 38-piece capsule captures the show’s sense of kooky nautical nonsense, the lovable yellow sponge’s face crocheted into a pipsqueak-sized tote bag, printed onto swim trunks, and plastered on slingback espadrilles.—
Violet Goldstone,
WWD,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Ferrari’s unhealthy reputation for muddling their decisions looked to have been eradicated last year in Fred Vasseur’s first season as team principal, but the issue has reared its head again over the opening two races of 2025.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
-
There was something stark and piercing in me that was much closer to clarity than to muddle, but calling it a muddle took less effort.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Lira, remembering the garbage, quickly takes out the trash.—
Cindy Carcamo,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Leave the garbage can open and place it in the sun to fully dry before closing it or putting a garbage bag in it.—
Kamron Sanders,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The club takes care of pre-stocking your fridge, fluffing your pillows and sheets, and shuttling you to the ski lodge.—
Isaac Avilucea,
Axios,
21 Mar. 2025
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Painting my face and fluffing my hair for my party tonight.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The site was first excavated beginning in 1995, and in 2018, scientists began collecting, analyzing and radiocarbon dating fossils unearthed from El Gigante rubbish piles.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Last year, a dumpster diver in Hudson, New York, stumbled upon an extraordinary find: An 18th-century pen-and-ink sketch by English portraitist George Romney was hidden amid the rubbish.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Confidently rolling toward the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigades in a long column of vehicles flying the red flag of the defunct Soviet Union, the Russian marines blundered into a preplanned kill zone.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Particularly the government's blundering attempts to deal with these new visitors.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
11 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
-
Focus on whole foods like fruits, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The singer-songwriter added that most of her romantic relationships blossomed from close friendships, and that the concept of a romance that doesn’t come from a friendship or creative partnership boggles her mind.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
18 Mar. 2025
-
In foreign affairs, meanwhile, the confusion that Trump has created in a few short weeks boggles the geopolitical mind.—
Susan B. Glasser,
The New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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