Hokum

Quick meaning: Hokum is a noun meaning (countable, uncountable, informal) (An instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate.

Meaning

(countable, uncountable, informal) (An instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate.

More Meanings

1. (uncountable, music) A genre of blues song or music, often characterized by sexual innuendos or satire.
2. (countable, uncountable, informal) (An instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, television programme, theater production, etc.
3. (countable, informal) A film, television programme, theater production, etc., containing excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material.

Example Sentences

It is pure hocum, this language that they want more police officers, and they vetoed it over the lack of funding in this account. It is just a pure political thing.

The "classy" stuff is pretty to talk about, it furnishes inspiration for the dramatic writer, but it is the hocum, the jazbo, what vaudeville styles "comedy acts," which please an audience.

The majority of the twenty-six stunts described in this volume belong to a species of so-called hokum acts derived from the professional stage and handed down through several generations of actors.

I think we have learned to beware of these political charlatans. We have enough horse sense to neutralize their hokum. But let's start right now to take their hokum apart and show up its component elements for just what they are—the siren songs of demagogy.

Word Forms

• hokums

Synonyms for hokum

Depending on context, synonyms include bunkum, absurdity, applesauce, bafflegab, balderdash, balls.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include bunk, baloney, hogwash, bunkum, humbug, hogshit.

Related Dictionary Tools