Word salad is a form of garbled, disjointed, rambling speech that makes no sense. It’s another way the narcissist confuses, deflects, or manipulates conversations and discussions.
Word salad is a tactic narcissists use to confuse their victim, keep them off-balance and unsure of themselves, and deflect any accountability. By engaging in convoluted reasoning and language, the narcissist controls the narrative as their victim is left scratching their head, wondering, “Huh?”
After all, how does one make sense of nonsense?
Word salad often consists of long-winded sentences that make no sense. It may present as deflective counterattacks, aka “whataboutism”: “Well, what about the time you [fill in the blank]?” Word salad often makes up those circular conversations that go round-and-round, with the same topics brought up again and again with no resolution. It is often used in avoidant, unrelated and tangential conversations where the narcissist pretends to not understand what you are talking about.
Like other manipulative tactics, narcissists use word salad to maintain the upper hand. It’s used to disorient, frustrate, overwhelm, and exhaust the listener. Which leaves the narcissist off the hook-- once again.
If you suspect you’re on the receiving end of a deluge of word salad, your best bet may be to take a deep breath, take a time-out, clear your head, and either come back another time or seek outside support and guidance. You may have to accept that you’ll never get an appropriate or satisfying response from a person more interested in control than cooperation.