theater of the absurd

American  

noun

1. theater in which standard or naturalistic conventions of plot, characterization, and thematic structure are ignored or distorted in order to convey the irrational or fictive nature of reality and the essential isolation of humanity in a meaningless world.

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Etymology

Origin of theater of the absurd

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

To pretend otherwise is to deprive words of meaning and to live in the theater of the absurd.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

“It’s a little bit of the theater of the absurd at this point, right? Michael Cohen is no longer a witness in this trial,” Blanche told the AP.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 4, 2024

Marine jailed for nine years last July, as the "theater of the absurd" and lacking serious evidence.

From Reuters • Jun. 16, 2021

John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, called Reed's conviction "ridiculous" and an example of the "theater of the absurd."

From Fox News • Jun. 15, 2021

We are simultaneously in Shadow’s mind and the collective unconscious, wandering the vast unknown like lost lambs in a dystopian theater of the absurd.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2017