What does folderol mean?
Folderol refers to trivial, foolish nonsense — activity, talk, or ornamentation that looks busy or impressive but has no real substance or worth. A speaker might dismiss elaborate bureaucratic procedures, fussy decorations, or empty ceremony as folderol. The word derives from older nonsense refrains in songs (related to 'falderal'), where singers hummed meaningless syllables such as fal-de-ral; over time the term came to signify meaninglessness generally, first in music and later in life at large. It is informal in register and nearly always conveys disdain, often with a hint of impatience or grumpiness on the part of the person using it. Though more common in American English, it is recognized throughout the English-speaking world. Folderol remains useful precisely because it captures, in one punchy word, the judgment that something is all show and no substance.
Trivial or foolish nonsense; things regarded as utterly worthless or absurd.
"The new software update was pure folderol — lots of bells and whistles, no real improvements."
Almost always used dismissively; rarely neutral.
Showy but worthless ornamentation or decoration (older sense).
"She cleared the mantelpiece of what she called its century of folderol."
The plural is rare; folderol is usually treated as an uncountable mass of nonsense. When a plural does appear it typically refers to multiple instances of trivial items.
"The shop was crammed with Victorian folderols of no value whatsoever."
Before it meant 'utter nonsense,' folderol was literally the meaningless la-la-la refrain singers hummed when they didn't know the words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of folderol
Folderol originated as a variant of 'falderal' (also spelled fal-de-ral or faddle-diddle), a meaningless refrain used in old English songs, notably appearing in variants of the ballad 'Lilliburlero' and similar pieces in the late 17th century. Because the refrain itself signified nothing, the word naturally came to mean nonsense or triviality, a shift that was established by the early 19th century. Its sibling form 'falderal' survives as a near-synonym, and both belong to a family of nonsense-syllable terms that entered everyday speech from popular music.
How folderol is actually used
Folderol is informal and almost always used with a dismissive or contemptuous connotation. It appears chiefly in American English, though it is understood in Britain. The word often carries a slightly old-fashioned, curmudgeonly flavor — it suggests an impatient, no-nonsense speaker.
Easily confused with folderol
Fandangle also means elaborate frippery or nonsense, but is a distinct word with its own separate origin; folderol specifically descends from a nonsense refrain in old songs.