Definition of drivel in English:

drivel

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noun

Nonsense.
‘don't talk such drivel!’
- ‘Now we'll see the difference between banal mass-market drivel and true untutored garbage.’
- ‘Such anthropomorphic drivel is codswallop, no matter who says it.’
- ‘I'd hand-write sheets and sheets of inane drivel and daily nonsense to all and sundry.’
- ‘What we are hearing now is just total drivel and rubbish.’
- ‘Then he comes into this House, along with his colleagues, and talks a lot of drivel and absolute nonsense.’
- ‘He doesn't even realise that nobody is stupid enough to buy such absolute drivel.’
- ‘To ban smoking breaks and then insult workers by talking drivel about acupuncture is complete and utter nonsense.’
- ‘Now that I have been granted this opportunity to ‘share’ with a new audience I feel compelled to make the most of this before everyone is lulled by my drivel into wishing that each post was my last.’
- ‘How dare HE, publisher of drivel, insult MY work!’
- ‘He could have spouted some generic administrative drivel like ‘The university is behind Katie and we are taking these allegations seriously.’’
- ‘I don't mean to knock my own writing, but in all honesty, if I can write a better manuscript about my experiences with bipolar disorder, there's no way this drivel should be in print.’
- ‘It's a truly vast and comprehensive resource, and usually a good 90% reliable - although in the nature of things, at any given time any given article may be utter drivel.’
- ‘If the authors of this drivel had attended school, they would understand that schools do teach each religion impartially and without prejudice to give a balanced view of each faith.’
- ‘In one he said: ‘I started to look at this point by point but it is drivel.’’
- ‘I'd gather few would listen to the programmes which pump out the often sinister drivel, partly because the product is not on news stands, in magazines or on the family telly - hopefully.’
- ‘It's hard to give yourself to anything and that's what makes it beautiful, even on days when you write a bit of drivel, forget where the troops moved next, or step on your partner's foot.’
- ‘Following these rules has dragged even the big networks into broadcasting drivel in their news bulletins in a demented and ultimately unproductive effort to keep their viewer numbers high.’
- ‘I was astonished to read this meaningless drivel, and alarmed that the Herald would have any interest in publishing it - to the point of placing it on the main page.’
- ‘It is particularly ironic that someone who writes complete drivel 95% of the time should be reprimanded and hounded into apologising for the one article where he is spot on.’
- ‘But kids talk a lot, and as well as the usual gossipy drivel, I can't help but hear them spill a remarkable amount of private information that would horrify their parents.’
nonsense, twaddle, claptrap, balderdash, gibberish, mumbo jumbo
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Pronunciation

drivel

/ˈdriv(ə)l/ /ˈdrɪv(ə)l/

intransitive verbintransitive verb drivels, intransitive verb driveling, intransitive verb driveled, intransitive verb drivelling, intransitive verb drivelled

[no object]

1Talk nonsense.
‘he was driveling on about the glory days’
- ‘It is a bit weird that the judges are constantly drivelling about innovation and blah.’
- ‘Boredom descended once again as the match drivelled towards the conclusion.’
- ‘I still enjoy creating and maintaining what you see here and, as I've said before, whilst that remains the case then I shall continue to keep on driveling.’
- ‘The bad news is that we will now have to endure more drivel about ‘curses.’’
- ‘In his cups, Partridge may have drivelled out a whole string of indiscretions, at a time when Susan was moving in and out of the kitchen about her business.’
- ‘The shout driveled along the snow, weak and muffled.’
- ‘I happen to think that you drivel on quite nicely.’
- ‘He seems to cast his male characters as spineless imbeciles, and spend the rest of the novel drivelling an apology on behalf of the whole of his gender.’
- ‘They descend on my memory somewhat here though I do dimly remember us drivelling on about many other subjects.’
talk nonsense, babble, ramble, gibber, burble, blather, blether, prate, prattle, gabble, chatter, twitter, maunder
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2 archaic Let saliva or mucus flow from the mouth or nose.
‘the nurse leaves you to drivel, and never wipes your nose’
- ‘The elder is ever drivelling, the younger never has any salival discharge.’
- ‘Saliva driveled out his mouth, mucous out his nose.’
- ‘Ever since he driveled on my hand whilst I held apiece of zinc plating that he was cutting out in the field I realized that he was more than just a scientific supervisor.’
salivate, dribble, slaver, slobber, drivel, water at the mouth
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