World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesHumbug
Pronunciation / Transliteration: ˈhʊmˌbuːk
"Das ist doch alles reiner Humbug."
Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
1 sense- 1
Foolish, insincere, or meaningless talk; nonsense.
"Most of the political promises made during the campaign turned out to be pure bunkum."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Originated in the United States in the early 19th century as a corruption of 'Buncombe', a county in North Carolina. During a congressional debate in 1820, a representative from Buncombe County gave a long, meaningless speech, explaining he was merely talking for his constituents in Buncombe; the term subsequently evolved to denote any nonsense or insincere talk.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Bunkum"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Bunkum" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
balivernes
Transliteration: ba.li.vɛʁn
"Ce qu'il raconte ne sont que des balivernes."
Humbug
Transliteration: ˈhʊmˌbuːk
"Das ist doch alles reiner Humbug."
sciocchezze
Transliteration: ʃokˈket.tse
"Quella storia è solo un mucchio di sciocchezze."
tonterías
Transliteration: ton.teˈɾi.as
"No creas nada de lo que dice; son puras tonterías."
bobagens
Transliteration: boˈba.ʒẽjs
"Ele só fala bobagens quando está nervoso."
बकवास
Transliteration: bakvās
Script: हिंदी देवनागरी
"उसकी सारी बातें सिर्फ बकवास थीं।"
胡说八道
Transliteration: húshuō bādào
Script: 中文汉字
"他说的全都是胡说八道。"
터무니없는 소리
Transliteration: teomunieomneun sori
Script: 한국어 한글
"그의 주장은 터무니없는 소리일 뿐이다."
たわごと
Transliteration: tawagoto
Script: 日本語
"彼の話はすべてたわごとにすぎない。"
Related Vocabulary Words to Explore
View all German termsA very rich person; a millionaire or billionaire of legendary proportions.
A person who promotes or publicizes a particular organization, doctrine, or biased point of view, often using misleading or manipulative information.
A scarecrow or a grotesque figure set up in a field.
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