"Drivel" vs. "gibberish": when nonsense takes different shapes

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 17/06/2025, 10:31

English.me team member

Drivel and gibberish. What's the difference?

What is similar?

Both "drivel" and "gibberish" refer to speech or writing that is nonsensical or meaningless, often implying a lack of sense or purpose.

What is different?

"Drivel" typically has a connotation of foolishness or childishness and may refer to silly or senseless talk, sometimes with annoyance. "Gibberish" specifically describes language or speech that is impossible to understand, either because it is unintelligible or because it is made up of random or distorted sounds, without necessarily implying foolishness.

Which one is more common?

Examples of usage

Drivel

Stop talking drivel and get to the point.
He filled the meeting with so much drivel that nobody listened.

Gibberish

The child spoke in complete gibberish when he was excited.
To everyone else, the computer code looked like gibberish.