Dictionary

nonsensical en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Germanic *ne Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Germanic *ainaz Proto-Germanic *nainaz Proto-West Germanic *nain Old English nān Middle English non ▲ Old English nān Old English nān- Middle English non- English non- Proto-Indo-European *sent-der. Proto-Italic *sentiō Latin sentiō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin sēnsusbor. Proto-Germanic *sinnaz Frankish *sinnbor. Vulgar Latin *sennus Old French sensbor. Middle English sense English sense English nonsense Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ic Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālisbor. Old French -albor. ▲ Latin -ālis Old French -elbor. ▲ Latin -ālisbor. Middle English -al Middle English -ical English -ical English nonsensical From nonsense + -ical.

Meanings

1. Without sense; absurd.
   • President Donald Trump’s presidential memorandum ordering an investigation of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and his use of the autopen […] is also nonsensical fan service, amplifying addled MAGA conspiracy theories that contend, with a straight face, that Biden was really a robotic clone. 2025 June 7, Paul Rosenzweig, “The Biden Investigation Is a Path to Even Greater Lawlessness”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 07 Jun 2025:
   • Well, her very foolish grandmother has mixed herself up in some nonsensical correspondence with the court of St. Germains; or, rather, has let herself be made a tool by Mr. Trevanion, who, I am happy to say, is not Ethel's husband; they arrested him just in time. 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Prudence in Politics”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 179:
   • Conspiracy theories have become so mainstream that they are even prompting nonsensical legislation. Earlier this month, Louisiana lawmakers sent a bill to the state’s governor seeking to ban “chemtrails” – which don’t actually exist. 2025 June 17, Arwa Mahdawi, “What SJP’s selfie trick tells us about the terrifying rise of conspiracy theories”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Forms

Antonyms

rational · comprehensible · sensical · commonsensical · sensible · logical

Deriveds

nonsensicalness · nonsensicality · seminonsensical · nonsensically · unnonsensical

Relateds

senseless · nonsense · nonsensible · sensical

Synonyms

unmeaning · preposterous · absurd · foolish · irrational · meaningless

Translations (45)

pdt onsennich (without sense) · he אבסורדי (without sense) · ru неле́пый (without sense) · la nūgax (without sense) · pl nonsensowny (without sense) · pl bezsensowny (without sense) · fr absurde (without sense) · fi tolkuton (without sense) · hu nonszensz (without sense) · nl onzinnig (without sense) · mi nenekara (without sense) · de sinnwidrig (without sense) · de unsinnig (without sense) · tr abuk sabuk (without sense) · tr saçma sapan (without sense) · fi järjenvastainen (without sense) · ja 意味不明な (without sense) · de widersinnig (without sense) · tr abes (without sense) · da absurd (without sense) · ru бессмы́сленный (without sense) · fi järjetön (without sense) · yi אומזיניק (without sense) · th ไร้สาระ (without sense) · gv meecheeallagh (without sense) · nl betekenisloos (without sense) · hu képtelen (without sense) · tr saçma (without sense) · es estólido (without sense) · cs nesmyslný (without sense) · tr absürt (without sense) · sv meningslös (without sense) · bcl daing hawong (without sense) · he שטותי (without sense) · bg безсмислен (without sense) · tr abidik gubidik (without sense) · eo sensenca (without sense) · fi mieletön (without sense) · gl absurdo (without sense) · nl zinloos (without sense) · fr sans queue ni tête (without sense) · bg глупав (without sense) · hu értelmetlen (without sense) · hy անիմաստ (without sense) · hu abszurd (without sense)