Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
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nonsense

noun · adjective US /ˈnɑːnsens/

a message that seems to convey no meaning

How often you will meet it

Rank 1,894 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 9,455 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.004% of every word in the library.

What it means

noun

  1. a message that seems to convey no meaning also: bunk, nonsensicality, meaninglessness, hokum
  2. ornamental objects of no great value also: folderal, falderol, frill, gimcrackery, gimcrack, trumpery

adjective

  1. having no intelligible meaning also: nonsensical nonsense syllablesa nonsensical jumble of words

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

nonsense in real books

Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.

  • Nonsense, John, there's a time for everything.

    Plays : First Series · John Galsworthy · Chapter 1

  • But Dolly’s blood boiled at such stupid, antiquated, military nonsense.

    The Two Sides of the Shield · Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge · Chapter 2

  • Why did n't I warn him about love and all that nonsense?

    Elsie Venner · Oliver Wendell Holmes · Chapter 2

  • But the next instant some wild nonsense would dart into her head, and set her off worse than ever.

    Famous Stories Every Child Should Know · Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie · Chapter 3

  • He no longer talked nonsense, for no one was allowed to speak in the shop, and he soon learned silent ways.

    Invisible Links · Selma Lagerlöf · Chapter 1

Nearby in the frequency table

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