Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A metasyntactic variable, similar to foo and bar.
  • interjection A word (which may or may not be "fnord" itself) commonly held to be invisible to the conscious mind, but subliminally causing a sense of unease or sudden anger when encountered. So used in the Illuminatus! trilogy.
  • interjection A word defined as having no definition.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

A neologism from the Principia Discordia popularized in the Illuminatus! trilogy.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word fnord.

Examples

  • Not only that, fnord, that is the ugliest animal I've ever seen, from this wildlife

    Blogtimore, Hon 2009

  • A loud, annoying one that said "fnord" way too much.

    sirilyan Diary Entry sirilyan 2001

  • What I find hilarious is that the Wikipedia article suggests that this book influenced The DaVinci Code (as a conspiracy novel) - perhaps I missed Hagbard or fnord in Dan Brown's pop-culture craze?

    Are There Any SF/F Books You Could Not Finish? 2007

  • I think I've mentioned this before, (fnord) but Illuminatus kind of (fnord) sucks.

    ana-ng Diary Entry ana-ng 2009

  • Schrodinger's Cat is wonderful, and (fnord) Wilson's collections of essays will make your brain explode, but none of it (fnord) makes any sense unless you slog through Illuminuatus (fnord) first.

    ana-ng Diary Entry ana-ng 2009

  • The term "far-right" is a fnord, used in this case to mark where people are supposed to feel fear and revulsion.

    Sound Politics: It's in the P-I 2007

  • If you don't see the fnord it can't eat you, don't see the fnord, don't see the fnord...

    Gerry Canavan 2007

  • (It technically has a name, and that name is fnord, but it is really just the Old Box.)

    sirilyan Diary Entry sirilyan 2004

  • Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) - ESA/Hubble Collaboration To: null and void; fnord; Number57; KevinDavis; rdb3; MNJohnnie; RightWhale; proudofthesouth; ...

    Latest Articles NASA 2010

  • Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) - ESA/Hubble Collaboration To: null and void; fnord; Number57; KevinDavis; rdb3; MNJohnnie; RightWhale; proudofthesouth; ...

    Latest Articles NASA 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Why have I learned about this word only now?

    November 3, 2007

  • Words'll do that to youse.

    November 3, 2007

  • One of my favorite scenes from the Adam West Batman TV show went something like this:

    Robin: Gosh, Batman! Is there anything you don't know?

    Batman: (seriously) Yes, Robin. There are...several things I don't know.

    I feel like rewriting it:

    Skipvia: Gosh, sionnach. Are there any words you don't know?

    Sionnach: (Seriously) Well, there's this one.

    November 3, 2007

  • Skipvia : That's hilarious. Flattering, but the reality is that my ignorance knows no bounds.

    November 3, 2007

  • No, I'm with skipvia. This is the only word you don't know, sionnach. I'm convinced.

    Except now you know it. :-)

    November 4, 2007

  • This word really sounds like something Pinky would say to the Brain.

    November 4, 2007

  • What are we going to do tonight chained_bear?

    November 4, 2007

  • hail Eris

    October 3, 2008

  • Rather curious how no definition exists for fnord on this site. No doubt THEY are responsible. Although it may be an ExorcisE in futility, I will attempt to subvert THEM by offering this word's meaning. First of all, you must realise there are many different types of fnords. The first one, a fnord, is a peculiar type of pastry that's a cross between a jelly-filled donut and a cinnamon roll, but nobody knows where they come from, all pastry companies deny having the recipe, but they still are quite flavourful. The second variety, a fnord, is rumored to be a mid sized furry rodent resembling a muskrat, but may in fact be a nutria-chupacabra hybrid, and has so far eluded all attempts at capture. The third variety, fnords, are the lint in the navel of the mites that eat. The fourth variety, fnords, are common everyday items like pencils and shoelaces which are the physical manifestations of disinformation or irrelevant information intending to misdirect, with the implication of a worldwide conspiracy. The fifth variety are common fnords. I hope that helps to clear some things up.

    April 24, 2011

  • A plot device where something appears wildly out of context. Think of John Cleese sitting at a desk in the middle of a stream, saying: "And now for something completely different!" Heard on an NPR <i>Says You</i> show segment.

    February 22, 2015

  • 1) a word held to be invisible to the conscious mind, but

    subliminally causing a sense of angst when encountered

    2) a word defined as having no definition

    3) anything jarringly out of context (intentional or not)

    May 22, 2024