blah
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L295206 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /blɑː/ / /bla/
adj
Etymology: * Sense “Idle, meaningless talk” (1940), probably imitative or echoic in origin. Compare Ancient Greek βαρ-βαρ (bar-bar, “unintelligible sounds”), of which the word barbarian derives from. * Adjective sense “bland, dull” (1919), perhaps influenced by French blasé (“bored, indifferent”). * The blahs (“boredom, mild depression”) first attested 1969; probably a blend of the blues + blah (adjective). * Also may be connected with bleat
- Dull; uninteresting; insipid.
“Well, the new restaurant seems nice, but their menu is a little blah.”
“He was struck by how much pleasure they seemed to take in their daytime lives, how blah their night work was by contrast, how altogether meaningless; […]”
- Low in spirit or health; down.
“I decided to go exercise rather than sit around all day feeling blah.”
intj
Etymology: * Sense “Idle, meaningless talk” (1940), probably imitative or echoic in origin. Compare Ancient Greek βαρ-βαρ (bar-bar, “unintelligible sounds”), of which the word barbarian derives from. * Adjective sense “bland, dull” (1919), perhaps influenced by French blasé (“bored, indifferent”). * The blahs (“boredom, mild depression”) first attested 1969; probably a blend of the blues + blah (adjective). * Also may be connected with bleat
- An expression of mild frustration.
“Blah! Why can't I get this computer to work!”
- Imitative of idle, meaningless talk; used sometimes in a slightly derogatory manner to mock or downplay another's words, or to show disinterest in a diatribe, rant, instructions, unsolicited advice, parenting, etc. Also used when recalling and retelling another's words, as a substitute for the portions of the speech deemed irrelevant.
“Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah, Mom, you said this all yesterday.”
“And then he was like, "Oh, my brother's an Internet millionaire, blah blah blah." Like I care!”
- Representing the sound of vomiting.
noun
Etymology: * Sense “Idle, meaningless talk” (1940), probably imitative or echoic in origin. Compare Ancient Greek βαρ-βαρ (bar-bar, “unintelligible sounds”), of which the word barbarian derives from. * Adjective sense “bland, dull” (1919), perhaps influenced by French blasé (“bored, indifferent”). * The blahs (“boredom, mild depression”) first attested 1969; probably a blend of the blues + blah (adjective). * Also may be connected with bleat
- Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk.
- A general or ambiguous feeling of discomfort, dissatisfaction, uneasiness, boredom, mild depression, etc.
- A fool, an idiot.
verb
Etymology: * Sense “Idle, meaningless talk” (1940), probably imitative or echoic in origin. Compare Ancient Greek βαρ-βαρ (bar-bar, “unintelligible sounds”), of which the word barbarian derives from. * Adjective sense “bland, dull” (1919), perhaps influenced by French blasé (“bored, indifferent”). * The blahs (“boredom, mild depression”) first attested 1969; probably a blend of the blues + blah (adjective). * Also may be connected with bleat
- To utter idle, meaningless talk.
“Ooh, I feel so guilty, I've got far too much money — […] So give it away, endow a charitable foundation, burn it, but stop blahing on about it […]”
“Someone else said to me: “If you’re writing something again, don’t blah on about winning elections; it really offends them.””