Synonyms

absurd

American

[uhb-surd, -zurd] / əbˈsɜrd, -ˈzɜrd /

adjective

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

an absurd explanation.

Synonyms:

nonsensical, ludicrous, silly, irrational

Antonyms:

sensible, logical

noun

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

absurd British

/ əbˈsɜːd /

adjective

at variance with reason; manifestly false
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

(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

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

absurdity noun
absurdly adverb
absurdness noun
superabsurd adjective
superabsurdly adverb
superabsurdness noun

Etymology

Origin of absurd

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

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.

There was yelling and booing and people crying, it was big and rousing, boring and absurd.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gates's spokesperson has previously called the claim "absolutely absurd and completely false".

From BBC

While software stocks were never his focus, due to “absurd” multiples and paying up to 60 times revenue for businesses that hadn’t worked out how to make a profit, they’ve now got his attention.

From MarketWatch

“People don’t understand how absolutely absurd it is to operate up there.”

From The Wall Street Journal

It is one of a wave of deepfakes showing often absurd scenes of urban decline, and regularly purporting to be in the same south London neighbourhood.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023