preposterous
Americanadjective
adjective
Related Words
See absurd.
Other Word Forms
- preposterously adverb
- preposterousness noun
- unpreposterous adjective
- unpreposterously adverb
- unpreposterousness noun
Etymology
Origin of preposterous
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin praeposterus “inverted, reversed, perverted, perverse,” literally, “with the rear part first”; pre-, posterior, -ous
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.
Watch as the fluid camerawork makes her kills look nastier, and the preposterous script allows her to outwit her foes, even with the cards stacked against her at every turn.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026
Microdramas hew to an established formula, with each installment ending on a cliffhanger that pushes its often preposterous story line toward a final, usually shocking reveal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
David Hamilton said he could no longer trust the government to handle some files "unsupervised" after being given "preposterous and unacceptable" excuses for not complying with his orders.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Written by Matthew Parkhill, with Guy Ritchie — who directed Robert Downey Jr. in two steroidal Holmes films — helming some episodes, it’s pulpy and nutty and preposterous, mostly in a good way.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
But Pena had an idea—innovative or preposterous, depending on the point of view—of how one might find some Botocudo DNA anyway.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
