Meanings
- uncountableNonsense, foolish talk.
The wafflier the piffle, the more sharply Mr Nicholson wields his skewer.
2008 November 27, “Walking: More than gadding about”, in The Economist1 more example
The move is obviously pure piffle: a dumbshow designed to placate (or at least entertain) the conservative base while distracting and antagonising rivals.
2022 May 31, James Vincent, “Boris Johnson’s move to bring back imperial units is pure piffle – and simply unfathomable”, in The GuardianSynonyms: absurdity, all my eye, all my eye and Betty Martin, apple grease, applesauce, bafflegab, balderdash, balls
present singular third person piffles · participle present piffling · participle past piffled · past piffled
- To act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounNonsense, foolish talk.
More synonyms by meaning
verbspeak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Unknown, 1847. Perhaps blend of piddle + trifle, perhaps puff (“(onomatopoeia, puff of air)”) + -le (“diminutive”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian глупости, говоря глупости
- глупости (gluposti)nonsense, foolish talk
- говоря глупости (govorja gluposti)to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Czech nesmysly, kecy
- nesmyslynonsense, foolish talk
- kecynonsense, foolish talk
- žvástynonsense, foolish talk
- plácatto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- žvanitto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- kecatto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Finnish höpinä, höpötys
- höpinänonsense, foolish talk
- höpötysnonsense, foolish talk
- hölmöilläto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- höperehtiäto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
French babil, logorrhée
- babilnonsense, foolish talk
- logorrhéenonsense, foolish talk
- diarrhée verbalenonsense, foolish talk
- déconnagenonsense, foolish talk
- bafouillagenonsense, foolish talk
- jargonnonsense, foolish talk
- baragouinnonsense, foolish talk
- babillerto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- vaticinerto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- déconnerto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- péter les plombsto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- baragouinerto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- jargonnerto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
German Unsinn, Blödsinn
- Unsinnnonsense, foolish talk
- Blödsinnnonsense, foolish talk
- Quatschnonsense, foolish talk
- quatschento act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- plappernto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- quasselnto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- schwatzento act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Italian scemenze, sciocchezze
- scemenzenonsense, foolish talk
- sciocchezzenonsense, foolish talk
- stupidaggininonsense, foolish talk
- cicalareto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- chiacchierareto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Polish mówić bzdury, zachowywać się głupio
- mówić bzduryto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- zachowywać się głupioto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Portuguese conversa fútil
- conversa fútilnonsense, foolish talk
Russian чепуха́, болтовня́
- чепуха́ (čepuxá)nonsense, foolish talk
- болтовня́ (boltovnjá)nonsense, foolish talk
- вздор (vzdor)nonsense, foolish talk
- нести́ чушь (nestí čušʹ)to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- болта́ть вздор (boltátʹ vzdor)to act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Spanish parloteo, chapurreo
- parloteononsense, foolish talk
- chapurreononsense, foolish talk
- chamullononsense, foolish talk
- chácharanonsense, foolish talk
- jerganonsense, foolish talk
- jerigonzanonsense, foolish talk
- parlotearto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- chamullarto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- chacharearto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- chapurrarto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- chapurrearto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
- farfullarto act or speak in a futile, ineffective, or nonsensical manner
Welsh malu awyr
- malu awyrnonsense, foolish talk
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with piffle
All rhymes →Cite this entry
piffle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/piffle
“piffle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/piffle. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “piffle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/piffle.
Source: piffle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.