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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of piffle
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 June 2024
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, 7 June 2024
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
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That ain't the show, the show is the nonsense that's happening in between John Wick.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
7 Jan. 2025
-
By contrast, this rising international elite is creating something very different: a society in which superstition defeats reason and logic, transparency vanishes, and the nefarious actions of political leaders are obscured behind a cloud of nonsense and distraction.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
While picking a photographer, my feed led me to thousands of options that muddled my mind.—
Shradha Shahani,
Vogue,
15 Jan. 2025
-
In the outskirts of Syria’s capital Tuesday, the hope of a country freed from its longtime dictator was muddled with the emerging horrors of the Assad regime.—
Richard Engel,
NBC News,
10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Then again, one man’s garbage TV is another man’s treasure.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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Prosecutors allege Portillo’s body was found by police wrapped in garbage bags and clothes stuffed under a bed inside Coto-Navarro’s apartment.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Running the dishwasher, clearing surfaces, fluffing the couch, and taking out the trash might seem like a long list of tasks at the end of an even longer day.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Jan. 2025
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Smooth out any wrinkles on the bedspread, fluff the pillows, and clear off the nightstands of any items that may have accumulated the night before.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
30 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In the city center and suburbs of Maputo, mountains of rubbish were piling up.—
Tavares Cebola,
New York Times,
25 Dec. 2024
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Not this current rubbish that has been served up and charged at Michelin star rates.—
Patrick Boyland,
The Athletic,
16 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Ali sidestepped it, and Foreman blundered, swapping positions with his challenger, as Ali clubbed him with a head-dazing right blow.—
Mikal Gilmore,
Rolling Stone,
17 Jan. 2025
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Continue reading … Click here for more cartoons… MEDIA TELEVISION DRAMA – ABC News hit with embarrassing headlines from David Muir's clothespin blunder to Sunny Hostin's husband drama.—
Fox News,
Fox News,
10 Jan. 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
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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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When you’re only allowed to play 924 minutes in 365 days, the resulting numbers will boggle an onlooker’s mind.—
Jeff Rueter,
The Athletic,
14 Jan. 2025
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The sheer competency displayed in these eight minutes is boggling to the mind.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near piffle
Cite this Entry
“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piffle. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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