drivel

C2+ Topic:Communication

US /ˈdrɪvəl/ UK /ˈdrɪvəl/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
silly nonsense; foolish talk

He dismissed the report as superstitious drivel.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · silly nonsense; foolish talk nonsense gibberish balderdash twaddle rubbish claptrap prattle

Opposites

sense wisdom

Word family

Derived forms drivellerdriveling

Related forms drool dribble

Etymology

From Middle English 'drevelen', from Old English 'dreflian' ('to dribble, slobber'); the sense of foolish talk derives from the image of slobbering speech.

dreflian Old English

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Topics

Communication

# drivel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈdrɪvəl
**IPA (UK):** ˈdrɪvəl

## Meanings
1. silly nonsense; foolish talk

## Examples
- He dismissed the report as superstitious drivel.

## Synonyms
- nonsense
- gibberish
- balderdash
- twaddle
- rubbish
- claptrap
- prattle

## Antonyms
- sense
- wisdom

## Derived Forms
- driveller
- driveling

## Related Forms
- drool
- dribble

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dreflian

## Etymology
From Middle English 'drevelen', from Old English 'dreflian' ('to dribble, slobber'); the sense of foolish talk derives from the image of slobbering speech.

## AI Etymology
Drivel is from Middle English 'drevelen', from Old English 'dreflian' ('to dribble, slobber'); the sense of foolish talk derives from the image of slobbering speech. The immediate etymological form is Old English dreflian. In present use as noun and verb, it means "silly nonsense; foolish talk", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include drool and dribble; derived forms include driveller and driveling. Its contrast set includes sense and wisdom, which clarifies the semantic boundary of the modern word.

## Topics
- Communication

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drivel

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