8 Professional Ways To Say Bullsh*t (Read This First!)

Sometimes, we can’t think of anything better to say than “bullsh*t” when someone is talking nonsense. However, this isn’t appropriate to do in a work setting, and we need to know what better synonyms there are. This article will explore the best synonyms for professional settings.

What Can I Say Instead Of Bullsh*t In A Professional Setting?

There are plenty of great choices to use instead of “bullsh*t” in a professional setting. Some of the best ones we want to cover are:

• Nonsense
• Nonsensical
• Unfounded
• Incoherent
• Rhetoric
• Rubbish
• Wrong
• Incorrect

The preferred version is “nonsense.” It’s the easiest way to show that we do not agree with what somebody is saying or when we want to show that somebody has no idea what they’re talking about. It’s also an appropriate word in most professional situations.

Nonsense

Nonsense is a great word we can use to call somebody out for making up “bullsh*t.” It usually applies when they are presenting us with information (i.e., in a business meeting), but they are not able to come up with reasonable excuses for why they might say something.

The definition of “nonsense,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “language that cannot be understood because it does not mean anything.”

“Nonsense” is a really useful way to call somebody out for whatever they’re saying without using “bullsh*t.” This makes it the most appropriate and formal choice on the list. Many people will understand what you mean by it without having to be too aggressive in your comments.

You might see nonsense work in the following ways:

• What he is saying is nonsense. There’s no way we can hit those targets.
• Don’t listen to any of the nonsense the boss tells you. He doesn’t have much sway around here.
• That is nonsense, and I expect you to come up with a better reason as to why this project wasn’t finished on time.

Nonsensical

Nonsensical is almost identical to nonsense. We can use it whenever we want to draw attention to the fact that someone is talking rubbish or saying silly things. It mostly applies in meetings, where someone is trying to put a good presentation forward but fumbling their words.

The definition of “nonsensical,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “silly or stupid.”

The following examples will show you how to use it:

• You’re making a nonsensical speech, and no one here can follow what you’re saying.
• These points are nonsensical, and it seems like your presentation isn’t amounting to anything worthwhile.
• Stop with the nonsensical emails and tell me straight what you think is wrong with my company!

Unfounded

Anything that is unfounded is not founded on truth. Usually, the person presenting such information has not checked the facts to see whether what they are saying works. It can be called out, and it’s a much more formal way of calling “bullsh*t” on somebody who needs it.

The definition of “unfounded,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not based on fact; untrue.”

It’s very common for formal meetings to be based on unfounded situations. Many people will pluck false facts out of thin air and try to spin them off in professional ways to convince other people that they’re true.

Unfounded is a great word we can use as follows:

• I will not hear anymore of your unfounded allegations. You can contact my lawyer if you want to speak further.
• That comment is unfounded, and I challenge anyone to find the facts related to it.
• Stop with this unfounded slander. It’s not professional, and you need to move past it.

Incoherent

“Incoherent” speakers usually have trouble conveying their points in a reasonable way. It’s not much good when you’re trying to present something in your company, and many people will draw attention to how hard it is to understand anything you’re saying.

The definition of “incoherent,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “expressed in a way that is not clear, especially with ideas or words that are not connected in a sensible or clear way.”

While we can’t always call “bullsh*t” on incoherent speakers, it’s still a good choice to use. It mostly applies when we can’t understand what someone is saying, and we might call “bullsh*t” when their speech becomes impossible to understand.

Let’s see some examples of how an incoherent colleague or boss might speak:

• Everything the boss says at our meetings is incoherent, and we don’t know how to talk to him about it.
• That was the most incoherent presentation I’ve ever given. I feel like I’m getting in trouble for that.
• I’m sorry if you thought my email was incoherent, but I believe I pushed my points correctly throughout.

Rhetoric

“Rhetoric” is a special case. We use it when we want to show someone who is speaking with clever-sounding language while not really saying anything worthwhile. It’s common for bosses to use rhetoric, and it’s also common for employees to fall for it.

The definition of “rhetoric,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “clever language that sounds good but is not sincere or has no real meaning.”

Rhetoric is a powerful tactic utilized by many superiors in business. They will try and say things that make them sound clever (long, business-based words), but in reality, they’re just trying to convince everybody they know what they’re doing when they haven’t got any idea.

We could use “rhetoric” as follows:

• The rhetoric that the boss spins is only good at bringing new employees in for a short while.
• He comes up with a lot of rhetoric, which I’m sure worked in his previous place of employment, but it won’t work here.
• Stop with all this nonsense and rhetoric! No one believes that you will change this place for good.

Rubbish

“Rubbish” is a bit more informal than the rest, but it still works well in most formal situations too. It’s similar to nonsense, where we want to show that somebody is saying things that no one believes or understands.

The definition of “rubbish,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “something that you think is very low quality or not true.”

If you want to call something “rubbish,” it would help to read the following:

• I don’t want to hear any more rubbish from you. Please hand in your resignation by dawn.
• This is all rubbish. I won’t hear of it anymore. If you’re not happy here, you can leave.
• I can’t understand the rubbish he’s coming out with. Can you?

Wrong

Going even simpler than “rubbish,” “wrong” is another good choice. We can call somebody “wrong” for things they say. It’s less confrontational than using a swear word like “bullsh*t,” which is useful to us in a professional environment where we need to keep the peace.

The definition of “wrong,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not correct.”

Here’s how the simpler word “wrong” can work:

• Basically, everything the boss says is wrong, but there’s nothing we can do to stop him.
• I hate the boss’s new policies. They’re wrong, and they’re not going to generate good business.
• He is always wrong whenever he speaks, and his presentations are all over the place!

Incorrect

We could use “incorrect” similarly to using “wrong.” It can mean that someone has no evidence to back up their claims, or that they simply do not know what they are talking about. Again, it’s less confrontation than swearing at them, which is why it works well.

The definition of “incorrect,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “not correct or not true.”

“Incorrect” is a simple yet useful choice in this list:

• All of that information was incorrect, and I expected a lot more from you.
• The email you sent me has the incorrect attachment, and I need you to fix this error.
• Stop with all this incorrect nonsense! It’s not going to get you out of this situation.

Is Bullsh*t A Bad Word?

Well, we’ve covered this whole article and the synonyms we can use to best simulate “bullsh*t” in a professional environment. However, none of that is good to us if we don’t know much about the word “bullsh*t” ourselves.

“Bullsh*t” is a bad word, and it’s a swear word. It is a curse we use when we don’t believe that something is true or when somebody is talking rubbish that we cannot understand or is of no use to us. We usually say it when we have a hard time believing in something.

If someone comes up to us and tells us that they’re capable of doing something really difficult without proving it, we might call “bullsh*t” on that.

We may also call “bullsh*t” when somebody tries to introduce new measures to our workload that go above and beyond our current pay.

There are plenty of situations where it might occur, but we need to be careful using it. At the end of the day, it is still a swear word (as it comes from the simpler swear “sh*t”). You should watch who you’re speaking to when using it.

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