Nonsensical — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective /ˌnän-ˌsen(t)s/ non·sense

Meaning & Definition of Nonsensical

Nonsensical (noun)

  1. words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas
  2. language, conduct, or an idea that is absurd or contrary to good sense
  3. an instance of absurd action

Nonsensical (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. conceived or made without regard for reason or reality

    "a nonsensical decision that didn't take account of all of the facts"

    similar: absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, preposterous, unreal, wild, off the wall (slang)
    related: implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable, extravagant, grotesque, bizarro, curious, eccentric, far-out, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, screwy, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, Alice-in-Wonderland, Kafkaesque, nightmarish, dreamlike, surreal
    opposite: realistic, reasonable

  2. showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment

    "your plan to lose weight through total starvation is completely nonsensical"

    similar: absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy (chiefly British), batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, fruity (slang), gaga, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunatic (informal), lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacko, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany, out to lunch
    related: airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, thoughtless, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, vacuous, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, surd, unreasonable, unreasoning, unsound, weak, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, notional, buffoonish, clownish, ill-advised, unconsidered, unreasoned
    opposite: judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise
    near: brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, reasonable, valid, well-advised

Related Entry: Nonsense (noun)

Nonsense is a different word from Nonsensical. The synonyms below are for nonsense, not for nonsensical.

  1. language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense

    "told the little brat to stop his mischievous nonsense and start behaving properly"

    "the discussion about building a time machine was complete nonsense"

    "a hundred years ago, the idea that man could walk on the moon was regarded as impractical nonsense"

    similar: applesauce (slang), balderdash, baloney, beans, bilge, blah, blarney, blather, blatherskite, blither, bosh, bull (slang), bunk, bunkum, claptrap, codswallop (British), crapola (slang), crock, drivel, drool, fiddle, fiddle-faddle, fiddlesticks, flannel (British), flapdoodle, folderol, folly, foolishness, fudge, garbage, guff, hogwash, hokeypokey, hokum, hoodoo, hooey, horsefeathers (slang), humbug, humbuggery, jazz, malarkey, moonshine, muck, nerts (slang), nuts, piffle, poppycock, punk, rot, rubbish, senselessness, silliness, slush, stupidity, taradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, trash, trumpery, twaddle
    related: absurdity, asininity, fatuity, foolery, idiocy, imbecility, inaneness, inanity, insanity, kookiness, lunacy, absurdness, craziness, madness, witlessness, hoity-toity, monkey business, monkeyshine(s), shenanigan(s), tomfoolery, gas, hot air, rigmarole, double-talk, greek, hocus-pocus
    near: levelheadedness, rationality, reasonability, reasonableness, sensibleness, common sense, horse sense, sense, discernment, judgment, wisdom

  2. unintelligible or meaningless talk

    "when you talk with your mouth full of food, everything just comes out as nonsense"

    similar: abracadabra, babble, blabber, burble, double Dutch, double-talk, drivel, gabble, gibber, gibberish, jabber, jabberwocky, mumbo jumbo, prattle, slobber
    related: blah, hocus-pocus, hokeypokey, twaddle, chatter, gab, patter, prate, tattle, twitter, cackle, clack, clatter

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Nonsensical

The most common words with a similar meaning to Nonsensical:

Slang: off the wall, fruity
Chiefly British: barmy
Informal: lunatic
absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, preposterous, unreal, wild, asinine, balmy, batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, gaga, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, inept, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nutty, sappy

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Nonsensical

Words with the opposite meaning of Nonsensical:

realistic, reasonable, judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise

Related Words for Nonsensical

implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable, extravagant, grotesque, bizarro, curious, eccentric, far-out, funny, kinky, odd, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, screwy, strange, way-out, weird, farcical, laughable, ludicrous

Near Antonyms of Nonsensical

brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, valid, well-advised

Word Forms of Nonsensical

Derived words: nonsensical (adjective), nonsensically (adverb), nonsensicalness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Nonsensical

First known use: 1612

Frequently Asked Questions about Nonsensical

What does "Nonsensical" mean?

"Nonsensical" means words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas. As an a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Nonsensical"?

Other words for "Nonsensical" include absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane and preposterous. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Nonsensical" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Nonsensical"?

There are 148 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Nonsensical". Common alternatives include absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, preposterous, unreal and wild.

What is the opposite of "Nonsensical"?

Antonyms of "Nonsensical" include realistic, reasonable, judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane and sapient. Near antonyms include brainy, bright, clever and intelligent.

How do you use "Nonsensical" in a sentence?

Examples of "Nonsensical" in a sentence: "a nonsensical decision that didn't take account of all of the facts"; "your plan to lose weight through total starvation is completely nonsensical".

Is "Nonsensical" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Nonsensical" can be used as a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Nonsensical"?

"Nonsensical" is pronounced /ˌnän-ˌsen(t)s/ and divided into syllables as non·sense.

What is the origin of the word "Nonsensical"?

First known use: 1612.