preposterous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See absurd.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of preposterous
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin praeposterus “inverted, reversed, perverted, perverse,” literally, “with the rear part first”; see also pre-, posterior, -ous
Explanation
To a vegetarian, the idea of eating a 52-ounce T-bone steak would seem preposterous — absolutely absurd. When the word preposterous was first used, it meant reversing the normal order of things — putting what was last first, and vice versa. Imagine putting on your underwear over your pants and you'll see that there's a kind of absurdity in something that's backwards, which is why preposterous came to mean "ridiculous." The word is often used as part of an exclamation: a chef who is asked to cook with nothing but jelly beans might exclaim, "That's preposterous!"
Vocabulary lists containing preposterous
Holes
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Preposterous really, how it never even crossed my mind.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2025
Preposterous, adjective: from the Latin prae-, meaning “before,” and posterus, or “coming after.”
From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2023
Everything from Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” to Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People” is being consigned to the metaphorical fire.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 6, 2022
Preposterous as it might sound, Hart seems almost gentlemanly by comparison.
From Washington Post • Aug. 6, 2021
Preposterous as they might be, it was his place, however, to observe phenomena, and, now that he had an opportunity to do so, he observed them.
From The Side Of The Angels A Novel by King, Basil
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
