I Swear English › Vocabulary A–Z › Rubbish
What does ‘Rubbish’ mean?
Pronunciation: /ˈrʌbɪʃ/ · Noun: usually uncountable
Things you throw away
In British English, rubbish is unwanted material that you throw away.
We filled two bags with rubbish while clearing the shed.
Say some rubbish, a piece of rubbish or two bags of rubbish, rather than a rubbish or two rubbishes for household waste.
Nonsense or poor quality
In informal British English, calling a claim rubbish means you think it is wrong or foolish. Calling a film or a piece of work rubbish means you think it is bad.
“You can learn a whole language in one afternoon.” “That’s rubbish.”
The camera on my old phone is rubbish in low light.
Be rubbish at means be bad at something: I’m rubbish at remembering song titles.
Rubbish, garbage, trash and litter
Garbage and trash are the usual North American alternatives for waste. Rubbish is the everyday British choice. Litter usually means waste left in the wrong place, such as wrappers on a pavement. A bag waiting for collection is rubbish; the wrappers scattered beside it are litter.
Can rubbish be a verb?
Yes. To rubbish an idea is to criticise it sharply or dismiss it as worthless. The forms are rubbish, rubbishes, rubbished, rubbishing.
The reviewer rubbished the ending but praised the actors.
Is it rude?
The waste meaning is ordinary and neutral. Rubbish is not a swear word, but Your work is rubbish is a blunt criticism. If you want to disagree politely, explain the problem: I don’t think these figures are correct.
Watch: ‘Rubbish’ explained
Original lesson by iswearenglish · Watch on YouTube
Video note
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Answer notes
- Three bags of rubbish. Count the bags; rubbish itself is uncountable in this meaning.
- Criticised it strongly. Rubbished is the past form of the verb here.
- Blunt and critical. The word is not profanity, but that does not make this comment polite.
Usage references: Oxford: rubbish, Oxford: rubbish as a verb, Cambridge: rubbish.
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