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nonsensical

nonsensical

39 5.5
Not making sense or having any meaning
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɑnˈsɛnsɪkəl/
translation icon : absurdo
  • Everything that I had been taught about him suddenly seemed nonsensical, even preposterous.
  • seem nonsensical
  • nonsensical words
  • often nonsensical

That is just a random, arbitrary, nonsensical statement.

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Examples

  • That is just a random, arbitrary, nonsensical statement.

  • They seemed more playful, singing nonsensical songs.

  • You know, this is such a nonsensical loss of life.

  • And it was and it was and it was so nonsensical to me.

  • It's just all nonsensical, wonderful dreams.

  • OK, so at first sight this may seems to be a nonsensical thing to do.

  • You've seen and heard enough nonsensical things for one night to last your whole lifetime.

  • When he eventually arrived home, his wife noticed that he was acting peculiarly and making nonsensical statements.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The information so obtained may often be trivial, nonsensical, and egotistical.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The idea that we could fly without wings is completely nonsensical.

Synonyms

unintelligible
vsnonsensical
8.6

Not clear enough to understand

highlights lack of sense or meaning rather than mere incomprehension
ridiculous
vsnonsensical
1.6

Very silly or unreasonable in a way that makes people laugh

points to absence of meaning or logical sense beyond silliness
absurd
vsnonsensical
288 4.4

So silly or unreasonable that it makes no sense

includes lack of meaning as well as extreme illogic
meaningless
vsnonsensical
226 5.1

Having no meaning, value, or purpose

adds the idea of being illogical or absurd beyond mere emptiness
idiotic
vsnonsensical
  • Offensive
115 4.4

Very silly and showing bad judgment

is about lack of sense or absurdity, not only poor judgment
ludicrous
vsnonsensical
100 6.0

Very silly and unreasonable so it makes people laugh

covers lack of meaning or illogic beyond mere comic effect
preposterous
vsnonsensical
72 7.3

Very silly and unreasonable so it seems laughable

is similar but also stresses simple lack of sense or meaning
senseless
vsnonsensical
69 4.2

Foolish and having no clear reason

stresses illogical or absurd qualities rather than only pointlessness
laughable
vsnonsensical
60 4.1

So silly or not reasonable that people do not take it seriously

refers more broadly to lacking sense or being illogical, not only funny
incomprehensible
vsnonsensical
46 8.8

Difficult or impossible to understand

focuses on being meaningless or absurd rather than only hard to understand
illogical
vsnonsensical
43 4.8

Does not make sense or follow clear reasons

covers both poor logic and utter lack of sense or meaning
unexplainable
vsnonsensical
19 7.0

Something people cannot understand or find a clear reason for

adds that it also lacks sense or becomes absurd rather than unexplained
cockeyed
vsnonsensical
  • Informal
4 8.9

A foolish idea or plan that will not work

stresses lack of sense or meaning rather than just foolishness
nonlogical
vsnonsensical
1 7.9

Not using clear or correct reasons

casts the same lack of logic as outright absurd or meaningless
without rhyme or reason
vsnonsensical
  • Informal
1 6.8

In a random way with no clear reason

describes lack of sense or meaning rather than only randomness
unlogical
vsnonsensical
8.6

Not having clear reasons or facts

broader, also implying absurdity or meaninglessness beyond logic
uncomprehensible
vsnonsensical
  • Informal
9.9

Very hard to understand

emphasizes senseless or absurd nature rather than only incomprehension

Antonyms

201 2.7

Showing good judgment and making practical choices

100 3.9

Able to think clearly and make good choices

How Nonsensical

absurd
288 4.4
nonsensical
39 5.5
ridiculous
1.6
silly
976 1.0

Surface Forms

nonsensical positive

Morphology

nonsensical = nonsense (transparent) = non + sense + ical

Regular adjectival formation from the noun 'nonsense' with '-ical', yielding an adjective meaning 'of or relating to nonsense; not making sense'.

Etymology

Nonsensical starts with non- meaning 'not' and includes sense, which means 'meaning' or 'good judgment' and appears in the word sensible. So nonsensical describes something that 'does not make sense' or is absurd.