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View synonyms for

absurd

[ uhb-surd, -zurd ]

adjective

  1. utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false:

    an absurd explanation.

    Synonyms: , , ,

    Antonyms: ,



noun

  1. the quality or condition of existing in a meaningless and irrational world.

absurd

/ əˈɜː /

adjective

  1. at variance with reason; manifestly false
  2. ludicrous; ridiculous
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the absurd
    sometimes capital philosophy the conception of the world, esp in Existentialist thought, as neither designed nor predictable but irrational and meaningless
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈܰ徱ٲ, noun
  • ˈܰ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ·ܰ· adverb
  • ·ܰ·Ա noun
  • ···ܰ adjective
  • su·per··ܰ· adverb
  • su·per··ܰ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of absurd1

First recorded in 1550–60, absurd is from the Latin word absurdus out of tune, uncouth, ridiculous. See ab-, surd
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Word History and Origins

Origin of absurd1

C16: via French from Latin absurdus dissonant, senseless, from ab- 1(intensive) + surdus dull-sounding, indistinct
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Synonym Study

Absurd, ridiculous, preposterous all mean inconsistent with reason or common sense. Absurd means utterly opposed to truth or reason: an absurd claim. Ridiculous implies that something is fit only to be laughed at, perhaps contemptuously: a ridiculous suggestion. Preposterous implies an extreme of foolishness: a preposterous proposal.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

These are all people who are trying to sustain their marriages and families in the most absurd way possible.

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Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said it is "absurd" and a "ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money" to pay for police officers who cannot be sacked to sit at home.

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He appealed for an end to the "absurd and cruel war" in Ukraine, although he disappointed Ukrainians by appearing to swallow Russia's propaganda message of having been provoked into its invasion.

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When you really think about it, isn’t the sheer refusal to accept something as mortal as death, that we see coming for our entire lives, just the slightest bit absurd?

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And the dynamic between the three central characters in “The Wedding Banquet” looks more like your modern-day polycule than it does an outrageously absurd farce.

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