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.

It was absurd, but so was his own fridge appearing in the ad.

From Literature

And while Clare was tempted to let her continue, just to see what absurd finish she had planned for this charade, time was of the essence.

From Literature

The story is completely absurd, filled with plot holes and characters as thin as a prima ballerina.

From Salon

"You can go back over history, and you end up in a completely absurd position," he said.

From BBC

One of them, lawyer Seydou Diagne, called the decision to strip Senegal of their title "so blatant, so absurd, so irrational".

From BBC

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