Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of absurdity
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English absurdite, from Middle French, from Late Latin absurditās; absurd + -ity
Explanation
An absurdity is something ridiculously foolish. The U.S. declaring war on Fiji would be an absurdity. This is the noun form of the adjective absurd, which means silly, hard-to-believe, and kind of crazy. Unless it's Halloween, it would be an absurdity to show up to school in a chicken suit. If your teacher taught math class with a fake French accent, that would also be an absurdity. A lot of comedies are full of absurdities, because an absurdity can be funny. If you're good at thinking of absurdities, maybe you should be a comedy writer.
Vocabulary lists containing absurdity
Stargirl
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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Vocabulary from the Sixth Democratic Debate, February 11, 2016
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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.
Playing up the absurdity of the disguise, the company promptly changed its logo across social media to a facsimile of the covered-up sign.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026
It added a layer of absurdity to a saga that cannot end quickly enough, with formal announcements expected at the conclusion of this Test.
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026
It’s The Onion made flesh, the kind of absurdity that would cause any 2014 time-traveler to instantly smell burnt toast.
From Slate • Jun. 14, 2026
Seth Meyers is stupendous at hooks and jabs delivered at a lightning pace, but straightly, leaving the performance of absurdity to news headlines.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
She almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
