abstract nonsense
- noun
- /ˈæbstrækt ˈnɑːnsəns/
- Slang
:
palabrería abstracta
- The professor dismissed the student's theory as abstract nonsense that lacked any practical application.
Examples
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Critics argue that the politician's speech was full of abstract nonsense without addressing real issues.
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Krauss makes the obvious point that any value can be challenged for its abstract nonsense (non-application to reality - such as mathematical platonism), but that does not get you all the way or very far with some values.
Blog text (25) -
Many people find philosophical arguments filled with abstract nonsense difficult to understand or relate to.
Synonyms
578
2.5
Words or ideas that do not make sense
45
7.2
Speech or writing that does not make sense
21
8.3
Confusing talk that hides the truth or tries to impress people
9
9.9
Confusing speech or writing full of technical words that most people cannot understand
6
5.7
To say things that are not true or that make no sense
3
9.9
A silly idea or story that is not true
1
9.8
Language that is hard to understand because it uses many difficult words or nonsense
1
6.6
Silly talk that is not true or useful
1
9.9
Foolish talk or ideas that are unimportant and silly
1
6.0
Things people say that are completely untrue or pointless
Very complex or unclear language that is hard to understand
Words or ideas that are complete nonsense and worthless
Ideas not based on science and lacking evidence, often about ghosts or miracle cures
Antonyms
How Obscure
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'overly theoretical and meaningless language' is directly derivable from combining 'abstract' (theoretical, non-concrete) with 'nonsense' (meaningless or senseless speech). The adjective+noun composition follows standard semantic rules and is cross-linguistically natural, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase abstract nonsense comes from jokes by some mathematicians who used it for very general, idea-only arguments. They named the high-level part abstract and mock-called it nonsense because it felt far from real examples, so today it means ideas that are 'too theoretical' or 'meaningless'.