claptrap

/'klæptræp/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
claptrap

The politician's speech was dismissed as empty claptrap.

Definition

Noun: 1. Pompous or pretentious talk or writing: Language that is showy, insincere, and intended to impress or deceive rather than to communicate substance. It often involves empty, exaggerated, or meaningless statements. 2. (Archaic) A trick or device to win applause: Originally referred to a theatrical gimmick or contrivance designed solely to elicit clapping from an audience.

Usage
  • The word is almost always used as a singular, uncountable noun.
  • It carries a strongly negative and dismissive connotation, implying that the speech or writing is worthless nonsense.
  • It is typically used in contexts criticizing politics, advertising, art criticism, or any verbose and insubstantial communication.
Examples
  • The politician's speech was nothing but claptrap, full of empty promises and grandiose claims.
  • I can't stand the pretentious claptrap in some modern art reviews.
  • Don't believe the advertising claptrap; the product is poorly made.
  • His entire argument was dismissed as sentimental claptrap.
Advanced Usage
  • "Full of claptrap": A common phrase to describe something replete with nonsense.
    • The manifesto was full of ideological claptrap.
  • "Sheer/Pure claptrap": Used for emphasis to denote something as utter nonsense.
    • His explanation was pure claptrap from start to finish.
Variants and Related Words
  • Bombast (n): High-sounding language with little meaning, intended to impress.
  • Grandiloquence (n): A pompous or lofty style of speaking.
  • Rhetoric (n): Language designed to persuade, which can sometimes be empty or deceptive (in its negative sense).
  • Hokum (n): Nonsense or untrue sentiment, especially in a dramatic performance.
Synonyms
  • Nonsense
  • Balderdash
  • Drivel
  • Bunkum
  • Humbug
  • Twaddle
  • Gibberish
Antonyms
  • Substance
  • Truth
  • Sense
  • Cogency
Idioms and Phrases
  • "Cut the claptrap": A direct command to stop talking nonsense and get to the point.
    • Cut the claptrap and tell me what really happened.
  • "Political/Patriotic claptrap": A common collocation criticizing insincere political or nationalistic rhetoric.
    • The debate devolved into mere political claptrap.
claptrap

The politician's speech was dismissed as empty claptrap.

Noun
  1. pompous or pretentious talk or writing

Từ đồng nghĩa