Are the expressions "This doesn't make sense" and "This makes no sense" equivalents? If not, what's the difference?
Learn English – Difference between “This makes no sense” and “This doesn’t make sense”
phrases
phrases
Are the expressions "This doesn't make sense" and "This makes no sense" equivalents? If not, what's the difference?
Best Answer
At a first approximation they mean the same thing, but there is an important difference.
"This doesn't make sense" is simply pointing out an inconsistency in whatever is being discussed. Eg, perhaps a column of numbers does not add correctly. Or, alternatively, it could be pointing out that phrase or sentence is somehow garbled and hard to understand.
"This makes no sense" is saying that substantial parts of the materials being discussed are inconsistent or impossible to understand. In essence it's saying "This is nonsense".