Standard Lemma guide

piffle

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /ˈpɪf.əl/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪfəl

1

noun

Meaning 1

Nonsense, foolish talk.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absurdity, all my eye, all my eye and Betty Martin, applesauce, bafflegab, balderdash, balls, baloney, banana oil, Bandini, baragouin, batcrap, batshit, bilgewater, blah, blather, blatherskite, bobbins, bollocks, bosh, BS, bull, bullcrap, bulldust, bull feathers, bullshit, bullspeak, bunk, bunkum, bushwah, clamjamfrey, claptrap, cobblers, codswallop, crap, crock, crock of shit, double Dutch, double talk, doublespeak, dribble, drivel, eyewash, fiddle-faddle, flapdoodle, flim-flam, flizz, flummery, folderol, foolishness, footle, framis, fuckery, fuckry, fudge, galimatias, Gallophone, garbage, garble, gash, gibber, gibberish, gobbledygook, gossip, Greek, guff, gup, hoax, hocus-pocus, hogwash, hokum, hooey, horse cock, horsefeathers, horse hockey, horse piss, horse puckey, horseshit, humbug, Irish bull, jabber, jabberwocky, jargon, jibber-jabber, jimjam, jive, junk, lallation, macaroni, malarkey, manure, meaninglessness, moonshine, mumbo jumbo, nertz, nonsense, pie in the sky, piffle, pigswill, poppycock, prattle, put-on, rhubarb, rhubarb rhubarb, rigmarole, rot, rubbish, ruse, santorum, shit, shite, skimble-skamble, squit, stuff, stuff and nonsense, tommy-rot, tosh, trittle trattle, tush, trash, tripe, twaddle, wass, whiff-whaff, word salad

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To waste, to fritter away.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To be squeamish or delicate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

trivial nonsense

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: balderdash, fiddle-faddle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: nonsense, bunk, nonsensicality, meaninglessness, hokum

6

verb

Meaning 6

act in a trivial or ineffective way

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: act, behave, do

7

verb

Meaning 7

speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chatter, palaver, prate, tittle-tattle, twaddle, clack, maunder, prattle, blab, gibber, tattle, blabber, gabble

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise

Narrower terms: babble, blather, smatter, blether, blither

History

Etymology

Unknown, 1847. Perhaps blend of piddle + trifle, perhaps puff (“(onomatopoeia, puff of air)”) + -le (“diminutive”).

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: глупости (gluposti) — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Czech: nesmysly — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Czech: kecy — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Czech: žvásty — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Finnish: höpinä — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Finnish: höpötys — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: babil — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: logorrhée — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: diarrhée verbale — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: déconnage — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: bafouillage — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: jargon — nonsense, foolish talk
  • French: baragouin — nonsense, foolish talk
  • German: Unsinn — nonsense, foolish talk
  • German: Blödsinn — nonsense, foolish talk
  • German: Quatsch — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Italian: scemenze — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Italian: sciocchezze — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Italian: stupidaggini — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Portuguese: conversa fútil — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Russian: чепуха́ (čepuxá) — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Russian: болтовня́ (boltovnjá) — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Russian: вздор (vzdor) — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Spanish: parloteo — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Spanish: chapurreo — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Spanish: chamullo — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Spanish: cháchara — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Spanish: jerga — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Spanish: jerigonza — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Welsh: malu awyr — nonsense, foolish talk
  • Bulgarian: говоря глупости (govorja gluposti) — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Czech: plácat — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Czech: žvanit — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Czech: kecat — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Finnish: hölmöillä — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Finnish: höperehtiä — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • French: babiller — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • French: vaticiner — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • French: déconner — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • French: péter les plombs — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • French: baragouiner — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • French: jargonner — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • German: quatschen — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • German: plappern — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • German: quasseln — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • German: schwatzen — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Italian: cicalare — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Italian: chiacchierare — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Polish: mówić bzdury — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Polish: zachowywać się głupio — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Russian: нести́ чушь (nestí čušʹ) — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Russian: болта́ть вздор (boltátʹ vzdor) — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Spanish: parlotear — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Spanish: chamullar — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Spanish: chacharear — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Spanish: chapurrar — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Spanish: chapurrear — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
  • Spanish: farfullar — to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner