overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

blah.

Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/blɑː/UK/bla/
  1. Nonsense; drivel; idle, meaningless talk.

    informal · uncountable
  2. A general or ambiguous feeling of discomfort, dissatisfaction, uneasiness, boredom, mild depression, etc.

    countable · in-plural · informal · uncountable
  3. A fool, an idiot.

    countable · derogatory · informal · uncountable
Where this word comes from

* 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

adj/blɑː/UK/bla/
  1. Dull; uninteresting; insipid.

    informal
    Well, the new restaurant seems nice, but their menu is a little blah.
  2. Low in spirit or health; down.

    informal
    I decided to go exercise rather than sit around all day feeling blah.
Where this word comes from

* 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

intj/blɑː/UK/bla/
  1. An expression of mild frustration.

    Blah! Why can't I get this computer to work!
  2. 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!
  3. Representing the sound of vomiting.

Where this word comes from

* 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

verb/blɑː/UK/bla/
  1. To utter idle, meaningless talk.

    intransitive
Where this word comes from

* 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

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

blah has 4 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

blah studioblah workshello, blah

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.