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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.
See Examples For:
“There’s a lot of absurdity and comedy here,” she says, pointing out the Spanish angels with guns, a series of artworks from the 1600s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The opening days of this year’s Aix Festival—which was planned by Pierre Audi, who died in 2025— ranged from brilliance to absurdity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
C.K. riffs at length about the bags under his eyes, the existential terror of waking up and the absurdity of putting his father in a retirement home.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 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
I almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Finally, if you think the obstacles to orderly press coverage and the absurdities of decision-day theater are bad, remember that they are nothing compared to how the court does its own substantive work.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
Parr, renowned for capturing the quiet rituals and absurdities of British life, was commissioned by the National Trust to capture life in Lacock, Wiltshire, during the spring and summer of 2025.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Current and former Social Security officials have told ProPublica over the past year that the SSI program’s complexities and absurdities remain perhaps the agency’s biggest bureaucratic headache.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
Metaphors, absurdities and seriousness intermingle in this production from New Forms LA and directed by Marissa Pattullo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
The chief expected us to disavow any such absurdities before he could endorse our church.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
