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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of nonsensical
Enjoy Motor City as pastiche, however, and the nonsensical bits can just about be read as part of the film’s retro charm.
—
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
And that calculus has become a nonsensical proxy for academic rigor – a college Squid Game, and one that became even more important post-Covid with the rise of test-optional admissions.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Expect enough backstabbing, saucy secrets, and nonsensical cameos to more than make up for the loss of And Just Like That.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
There are countless YouTube videos and Reddit threads poring over the scant details we’ve been given and putting forth theories that range from intriguing to nonsensical.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Listen to Macron, who points to vanishing prospects of a two-state solution as his nonsensical rationale for recognizing a nonexistent Palestinian state.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Those who have been following along with teen slang trends this year might notice that a lot of terms Gen Alpha/ Gen Z use are nonsensical.
—Annabelle Canela, Parents, 19 Aug. 2025
Both of those can be connected to a need to make sense of something that may feel nonsensical.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Nowadays, violence is random and nonsensical.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2025
And that calculus has become a nonsensical proxy for academic rigor – a college Squid Game, and one that became even more important post-Covid with the rise of test-optional admissions.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Expect enough backstabbing, saucy secrets, and nonsensical cameos to more than make up for the loss of And Just Like That.
—Lucy Ford, Time, 28 Aug. 2025
There are countless YouTube videos and Reddit threads poring over the scant details we’ve been given and putting forth theories that range from intriguing to nonsensical.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
Listen to Macron, who points to vanishing prospects of a two-state solution as his nonsensical rationale for recognizing a nonexistent Palestinian state.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Those who have been following along with teen slang trends this year might notice that a lot of terms Gen Alpha/ Gen Z use are nonsensical.
—Annabelle Canela, Parents, 19 Aug. 2025
Both of those can be connected to a need to make sense of something that may feel nonsensical.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Nowadays, violence is random and nonsensical.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonsensical
Adjective
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There’s no denying that catfish noodling is an absurd sport.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
11 Sep. 2025
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Barely any other media in recent times has given me an instant shock of glee or revulsion like this absurd anarcho-cartoon being stretched and squeezed to its most grotesque and wholesome clickbait limits.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Many kids find repeating these phrases satisfying, or silly, or just plain fun to say, Estevez says.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
8 Sep. 2025
-
There are no silly games being played.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But upon Bennet’s arrival, things take a turn for the bizarre, when the wealthy tycoon builds himself a prison cell in the basement, in an apparent act of meditative penance that forces Blakey into an inversion of traditional power dynamics.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
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Tasked with bringing into reality those that are a little further down on the bizarre end of the spectrum, the show’s prosthetics and VFX teams had their work cut out for them.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The recent rash of CEOs Gone Wild is arguably even stupider than commonplace fraud, and a troubling sign that there continues to be a slippery slope of accountability for C-Suite leadership.—
Ian Chaffee,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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The accounts team logs in right on time, and the stupid dance of platitudes that precedes every meeting at every company around the world begins.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But giving someone as historically great as Derrick Henry added motivation, certainly may prove to be a foolish decision from Delpit.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
There’s highly capable support in the cast from the unfailingly superb Vázquez, emanating gravitas, humanity and barely contained anger at the increasing frequency and spread of wildfires and the foolish refusal of those in power to address the growing threat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Stines’ defense attorneys, Jeremy and Kerri Bartley, say the sheriff was insane at the time of the killing and want his full mental health report – which is currently sealed – released to the public.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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Making straight men insane comes with the territory on one of TV’s most-talked about shows of the last five years (House of the Dragon continues to rack up toward 10 million viewers per ep).—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Winocour’s intent seems to be to take the fashion world, in its slightly unreal glamour and money and power, and bring it gently down to earth and humanize it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
9 Sep. 2025
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The air is fresh, the pace is calm, and the views are unreal.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Jared has a constant calmness about how crazy the day is.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
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This is my second Moon Man, which feels so crazy!—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonsensical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonsensical. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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