Piffle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɪf.əl/

Definitions

1. Speech or writing that is considered silly, senseless, or worthless
2. Communications or statements that lack substance or truth and are seen as frivolous
3. Expressions or remarks that are dismissed as unimportant, foolish, or absurd

Etymology: Piffle is a word with no traceable ancestor, and its first appearance in print dates to 1847. Its origin remains a matter of guesswork. One possibility is that it blends "piddle," meaning to trifle or waste time, with "trifle," a thing of little worth. Another is that it grew from "puff," an imitation of a short burst of breath, with the diminutive ending "-le" added, so that the word would sound like something blown away as nothing. Neither theory can be confirmed, and that uncertainty is part of the word's character. Its sound does much of the work: the soft "p" and the light, trailing "-le" make the word itself seem flimsy, which suits a term for talk that deserves no weight.

Synonyms: nonsense, drivel, gibberish, babble, rubbish

Antonyms: sense, truth, logic, reason, validity