piffle

1 of 2

verb

pif·fle ˈpi-fəl

piffled; piffling ˈpi-f(ə-)liŋ

Synonyms of piffle

intransitive verb

: to talk or act in a trivial, inept, or ineffective way

piffle

2 of 2

noun

: trivial nonsense

pseudo-scientific piffle

Examples of piffle in a Sentence

Noun His story is complete piffle. the belief that soda is made out of acid is just piffle

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

The Ritz, a smart London hotel where Margaret Thatcher spent her last days, is in fine fettle, turning a neat annual profit and valued in the region of £800m—not bad for a property bought for a piffling £75m in 1995. —The Economist, 31 Oct. 2019

Noun

Too often, the competing streaming algorithms at Netflix, Max, and Amazon Prime Video push a smattering of undifferentiated piffle. —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 June 2024 To note that Gloria!, the directing debut of Italian actor-singer-songwriter Margherita Vicario, is vapid, pseudo-feminist, sentimental piffle would be entirely accurate. —Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 The irony of the lightweight piffle being resurrected 26 years later isn’t lost on the group. —Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 21 July 2023 People who are too cowardly to put their names behind their allegations are hiding in the shadows, using the anonymity of dark money laws to try to raise doubts in the minds of voters by spreading inflammatory charges that amount to piffle. —cleveland, 12 Sep. 2021 The whole story now seems like so much piffle, except for the sons who lost their mother and a princess who lost her life. —John Anderson, WSJ, 7 Oct. 2021 It’s a not-quite-living imitation of a movie, a self-parody that lacks even a touch of humor—because, at the slightest sting of wit, its entire membrane of fakery would burst and leave hardly a piffle of vapor behind. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2021 The fact that all those involved in discussing this question have heads full of tosh and piffle does not make for productive debates. —Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2020 Though often dismissed as superstitious piffle, ghosts have proved surprisingly durable. —The Economist, 28 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Verb

perhaps blend of piddle and trifle

First Known Use

Verb

1847, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of piffle was in 1847

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

piffero

piffle

piffler

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Piffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piffle. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

piffle

noun

pif·fle

ˈpif-əl

: nonsense sense 1

piffle

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of piffle in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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piffle

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of piffle in a Sentence

Word History

Rhymes for piffle

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Share

Kids Definition

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