Adjacent Words

Drivel definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DRIVEL, v.i. drivl. [from the root of drip.]
1. To slaver; to let spittle drop or flow from the mouth, like a child, idiot or dotard.
2. To be weak or foolish; to dote; as a driveling hero; driveling love.
DRIVEL, n.
1. Slaver; saliva flowing from the mouth.
2. A driveller; a fool; an idiot. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a worthless message [syn: drivel, garbage]
2: saliva spilling from the mouth [syn: drool, dribble, drivel, slobber] v
1: let saliva drivel from the mouth; "The baby drooled" [syn: drivel, drool, slabber, slaver, slobber, dribble]

Merriam Webster's

I. intransitive verb (-eled or -elled; -eling or drivelling) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English dreflian; perhaps akin to Old Norse draf malt dregs Date: before 12th century 1. to let saliva dribble from the mouth ; slaver 2. to talk stupidly and carelessly • driveler noun II. noun Date: 14th century 1. archaic drool 1 2. nonsense

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. silly nonsense; twaddle. --v. (drivelled, drivelling; US driveled, driveling) 1 intr. run at the mouth or nose; dribble. 2 intr. talk childishly or idiotically. 3 tr. (foll. by away) fritter; squander away. Derivatives: driveller n. (US driveler). Etymology: OE dreflian (v.)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Drivel Driv"el, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Driveledor Drivelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Driveling or Drivelling.] [Cf. OE. dravelen, drabelen, drevelen, drivelen, to slaver, and E. drabble. Cf. Drool.] 1. To slaver; to let spittle drop or flow from the mouth, like a child, idiot, or dotard. 2. [Perh. a different word: cf. Icel. drafa to talk thick.] To be weak or foolish; to dote; as, a driveling hero; driveling love. --Shak. Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Drivel Driv"el, n. 1. Slaver; saliva flowing from the mouth. 2. Inarticulate or unmeaning utterance; foolish talk; babble. 3. A driveler; a fool; an idiot. [Obs.] --Sir P. Sidney. 4. A servant; a drudge. [Obs.] --Huloet.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe something that is written or said as drivel, you are critical of it because you think it is very silly. What absolute drivel! = nonsense [disapproval]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Slaver, slobber, drool. 2. Dote, be imbecile, be foolish. II. n. 1. Slaver, drivelling. 2. Nonsense, balderdash, stuff, foolish talk, nonsense, twaddle, twattle, imbecile prating. See prate.

Moby Thesaurus

Greek, absurdity, amphigory, babble, babblement, balderdash, balls, baloney, be insane, be stupid, bibble-babble, blabber, blather, blatherskite, blither, blow, blunder away, bombast, bosh, bull, bullshit, burble, cast away, chatter, claptrap, consume, crap, dither, dote, double-talk, dribble, drool, expectorate, expectoration, eyewash, fiddle-faddle, fiddledeedee, flapdoodle, flummery, foam, folderol, fritter, froth, fudge, fustian, gab, gabble, galimatias, gammon, garbage, gas, gibber, gibberish, gibble-gabble, gobbledygook, have a demon, hawk, hocus-pocus, hogwash, hooey, hot air, humbug, jabber, jabberwocky, jargon, malarkey, maunder, mouth-watering, mumbo jumbo, narrishkeit, niaiserie, nonsense, pack of nonsense, palaver, piffle, prate, prattle, ptyalism, rage, ramble, rant, rattle, rave, rigamarole, rigmarole, rodomontade, rubbish, run amok, run mad, saliva, salivate, salivation, sialagogue, skimble-skamble, slabber, slaver, slobber, spew, spit, spittle, sputum, squander, stuff and nonsense, stultiloquence, talk nonsense, throw away, trash, trifle away, tripe, trumpery, twaddle, twattle, twiddle-twaddle, vapor, vaporing, waffle, waffling, wander