Meanings
- uncountablerubbish, foolishness, poppycock
"This is all stuff and nonsense," said the king; "I shall have to go myself, if we are to get this confounded whistle from him.[…]"
1881, P. Chr. Asbjörnsen [i.e., Peter Christen Asbjørnsen], “Ashiepattle and the King’s Hares”, in H. L. Brækstad, transl., Round the Yule Log. Norwegian Folk and Fairy Tales, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, →OCLC, page 1774 more examples
"Stuff and nonsense!" said Bartle, forgetting in his irritation to whom he was speaking—"I beg your pardon, sir; I mean it's stuff and nonsense for the innocent to care about her being hanged.[…]"
1859, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “The Bitter Waters Spread”, in Adam Bede […], volume III, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book fifth, page 99“It’s a pun!” the King added in an angry tone, and everybody laughed. ¶ “Let the jury consider their verdict,” the King said, for about the twentieth time that day. ¶ “No, no!” said the Queen. “Sentence first—verdict afterwards.” ¶ “Stuff and nonsense!” said Alice loudly. “The idea of having the sentence first!”
1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Alice’s Evidence”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 187I wrote it last Monday evening. It's called 'The Jealous Rival; or, in Death Not Divided.' I read it to Marilla and she said it was stuff and nonsense. Then I read it to Matthew and he said it was fine. That is the kind of critic I like.
1908 June, L[ucy] M[aud] Montgomery, “The Story Club is Formed”, in Anne of Green Gables, Boston, Mass.: L[ouis] C[oues] Page & Company, published August 1909, →OCLC, page 290"Have you seen his letter in the Times?" I asked. / "What was it?" / "Stuff and nonsense!" said Summerlee, harshly. / "Well, it's at the bottom of this oxygen business, or I am mistaken," said I. / "Stuff and nonsense!" cried Summerlee again, with quite unnecessary violence.
1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Blurring of the Lines”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC, page 21Synonyms: See: Thesaurus:nonsense
Synonyms & antonyms
nounrubbish, foolishness, poppycock
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Cite this entry
stuff and nonsense. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stuff%20and%20nonsense
“stuff and nonsense.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stuff%20and%20nonsense. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “stuff and nonsense,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/stuff%20and%20nonsense.
Source: stuff and nonsense on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.