See also: non-sense

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From non- (no, none, lack of) +‎ sense, from c. 1610. Compare the semantically similar West Frisian ûnsin (nonsense), Dutch onzin (nonsense), German Unsinn (nonsense), English unsense (nonsense).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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nonsense (usually uncountable, plural nonsenses)

  1. Letters or words, in writing or speech, that have no meaning or pattern or seem to have no meaning.
    After my father had a stroke, every time he tried to talk, it sounded like nonsense.
  2. An untrue statement.
  3. That which is silly, illogical and lacks any meaning, reason or value; that which does not make sense.
  4. Something foolish.
    • 2008 October 9, “Nick Leeson has some lessons for this collapse”, in Telegraph.co.uk:
      and central banks lend vast sums against marshmallow backed securities, or other nonsenses creative bankers dreamed up.
  5. (literature) A type of poetry that contains strange or surreal ideas, as, for example, that written by Edward Lear.
  6. (biology) A damaged DNA sequence whose products are not biologically active, that is, that does nothing.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Terms derived from the noun "nonsense"

Collocations

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Translations

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Verb

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nonsense (third-person singular simple present nonsenses, present participle nonsensing, simple past and past participle nonsensed)

  1. To make nonsense of;
    • a. 1909, Bernard Shaw, “The Red Robe”, in James Huneker, editor, Dramatic Opinions and Essays by G. Bernard Shaw, volume 2, page 73:
      At the Haymarket all this is nonsensed by an endeavor to steer between Mr. Stanley Weyman's rights as author of the story and the prescriptive right of the leading actor to fight popularly and heroically against heavy odds.
  2. To attempt to dismiss as nonsense; to ignore or belittle the significance of something; to render unimportant or puny.
    Synonyms: belittle, dismiss, pooh-pooh, rubbish
    • 1997 June 3, “Rockies respond to whip”, in Denver Post:
      "They haven't nonsensed these workouts. They've taken them and used them very well. I didn't know how they'd respond, but they've responded."
    • 2000, Leon Garfield, Jason Cockcroft, Jack Holborn, page 131:
      Very commanding: very much 'end of this nonsensing'. Mister Fared spread his hands and shook his thin head imperceptibly, as if to say he understood.
    • 2006 March 17, “Sierra Leone: Petroleum Unit Calls for Auditing”, in AllAfrica.com:
      He further nonsensed press suggestions that the Petroleum Unit was set up to assist in the administration of sporting activities.
  3. (intransitive) To joke around, to waste time
    • 1963, C. F. Griffin, The Impermanence of Heroes, page 170:
      When he meant "go and get one" he said to go and get one, with no nonsensing around about "liking" to get one.

Adjective

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nonsense (comparative more nonsense, superlative most nonsense)

  1. Nonsensical.
  2. (biochemistry) Resulting from the substitution of a nucleotide in a sense codon, causing it to become a stop codon (not coding for an amino-acid).

Translations

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Interjection

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nonsense

  1. An emphatic rejection of something one has just heard and does not believe or agree with.
    • 2023 January 11, Philip Haigh, “Comment: The worst chaos for 40 years”, in RAIL, number 974, page 4:
      The operators present this as a passenger benefit by claiming it provides early notice. Nonsense! This just means that passengers can't find any information about the train they thought they were catching. It simply disappears.

Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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Finnish

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Etymology

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From English nonsense.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈnonsens/, [ˈno̞ns̠e̞ns̠]

Noun

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nonsense

  1. nonsense (type of poetry)

Declension

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Inflection of nonsense (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative nonsense nonsenset
genitive nonsensen nonsensejen
partitive nonsensea nonsenseja
illative nonsenseen nonsenseihin
singular plural
nominative nonsense nonsenset
accusative nom. nonsense nonsenset
gen. nonsensen
genitive nonsensen nonsensejen
nonsensein rare
partitive nonsensea nonsenseja
inessive nonsensessa nonsenseissa
elative nonsensesta nonsenseista
illative nonsenseen nonsenseihin
adessive nonsensella nonsenseilla
ablative nonsenselta nonsenseilta
allative nonsenselle nonsenseille
essive nonsensena nonsenseina
translative nonsenseksi nonsenseiksi
abessive nonsensetta nonsenseitta
instructive nonsensein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of nonsense (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative nonsenseni nonsenseni
accusative nom. nonsenseni nonsenseni
gen. nonsenseni
genitive nonsenseni nonsensejeni
nonsenseini rare
partitive nonsenseani nonsensejani
inessive nonsensessani nonsenseissani
elative nonsensestani nonsenseistani
illative nonsenseeni nonsenseihini
adessive nonsensellani nonsenseillani
ablative nonsenseltani nonsenseiltani
allative nonsenselleni nonsenseilleni
essive nonsensenani nonsenseinani
translative nonsensekseni nonsenseikseni
abessive nonsensettani nonsenseittani
instructive
comitative nonsenseineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative nonsensesi nonsensesi
accusative nom. nonsensesi nonsensesi
gen. nonsensesi
genitive nonsensesi nonsensejesi
nonsenseisi rare
partitive nonsenseasi nonsensejasi
inessive nonsensessasi nonsenseissasi
elative nonsensestasi nonsenseistasi
illative nonsenseesi nonsenseihisi
adessive nonsensellasi nonsenseillasi
ablative nonsenseltasi nonsenseiltasi
allative nonsensellesi nonsenseillesi
essive nonsensenasi nonsenseinasi
translative nonsenseksesi nonsenseiksesi
abessive nonsensettasi nonsenseittasi
instructive
comitative nonsenseinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative nonsensemme nonsensemme
accusative nom. nonsensemme nonsensemme
gen. nonsensemme
genitive nonsensemme nonsensejemme
nonsenseimme rare
partitive nonsenseamme nonsensejamme
inessive nonsensessamme nonsenseissamme
elative nonsensestamme nonsenseistamme
illative nonsenseemme nonsenseihimme
adessive nonsensellamme nonsenseillamme
ablative nonsenseltamme nonsenseiltamme
allative nonsensellemme nonsenseillemme
essive nonsensenamme nonsenseinamme
translative nonsenseksemme nonsenseiksemme
abessive nonsensettamme nonsenseittamme
instructive
comitative nonsenseinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative nonsensenne nonsensenne
accusative nom. nonsensenne nonsensenne
gen. nonsensenne
genitive nonsensenne nonsensejenne
nonsenseinne rare
partitive nonsenseanne nonsensejanne
inessive nonsensessanne nonsenseissanne
elative nonsensestanne nonsenseistanne
illative nonsenseenne nonsenseihinne
adessive nonsensellanne nonsenseillanne
ablative nonsenseltanne nonsenseiltanne
allative nonsensellenne nonsenseillenne
essive nonsensenanne nonsenseinanne
translative nonsenseksenne nonsenseiksenne
abessive nonsensettanne nonsenseittanne
instructive
comitative nonsenseinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative nonsensensa nonsensensa
accusative nom. nonsensensa nonsensensa
gen. nonsensensa
genitive nonsensensa nonsensejensa
nonsenseinsa rare
partitive nonsenseaan
nonsenseansa
nonsensejaan
nonsensejansa
inessive nonsensessaan
nonsensessansa
nonsenseissaan
nonsenseissansa
elative nonsensestaan
nonsensestansa
nonsenseistaan
nonsenseistansa
illative nonsenseensa nonsenseihinsa
adessive nonsensellaan
nonsensellansa
nonsenseillaan
nonsenseillansa
ablative nonsenseltaan
nonsenseltansa
nonsenseiltaan
nonsenseiltansa
allative nonsenselleen
nonsensellensa
nonsenseilleen
nonsenseillensa
essive nonsensenaan
nonsensenansa
nonsenseinaan
nonsenseinansa
translative nonsensekseen
nonsenseksensa
nonsenseikseen
nonsenseiksensa
abessive nonsensettaan
nonsensettansa
nonsenseittaan
nonsenseittansa
instructive
comitative nonsenseineen
nonsenseinensa

Further reading

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Mauritian Creole

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Etymology

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From English nonsense.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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nonsense

  1. nonsense

Alternative forms

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  • nonsens