absurd

1 of 2

adjective

ab·surd əb-ˈsərd How to pronounce absurd (audio)

-ˈzərd

: ridiculously unreasonable, unsound, or incongruous

an absurd argument

: extremely silly or ridiculous

absurd humor

: having no rational or orderly relationship to human life : meaningless

an absurd universe

also : lacking order or value

an absurd existence

: dealing with the absurd (see absurd entry 2) or with absurdism

absurd theater

absurdly adverb

absurdness noun

absurd

2 of 2

noun

: the state or condition in which human beings exist in an irrational and meaningless universe and in which human life has no ultimate meaning

—usually used with the

the theater of the absurd

Did you know?

Making Sense of Absurd

Absurd contains the rarer related adjective surd, which, like absurd, derives from the Latin surdus ("deaf, silent, stupid").

Surd can mean "lacking sense or irrational," much like absurd:

While the grandparents might scratch their heads at the Star Wars references, the actors and perhaps some younger parents likely delighted in manic, jumbled and surd structure of the play.
–Patrick Clement, Kiowa County Signal (Greensburg, Kansas), 23 Jan. 2013

Absurd stresses a lack of logical sense or harmonious agreement, of parts (such as a premise and a conclusion) not fitting together. In philosophy, it describes the problem of trying to distill meaning from one's experiences. In A Discourse on Novelty and Creation (1975), Carl R. Hausman writes, "There is an incongruity, an inconsistency, a conflict with a context that appears as lawful, orderly experience. As [Albert] Camus points out, absurdity 'springs from a comparison,' a comparison between two aspects of reality which seem to be out of harmony."

Example Sentences

Adjective In an era when federal judges issue rulings that in their impact often rival the lawmaking of any legislature in the land, it is increasingly absurd that their proceedings should remain off-limits to the same wider public scrutiny that news cameras have brought to courts in 48 states.

Editor & Publisher, 14 July 2003 By the time Showalter was fired one day after the end of last season, the stories of how he carried his attention to detail to absurd lengths—including his insistence that the A on the players' socks be completely visible—had been well circulated.

Phil Taylor, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 2001 This criticism, patently absurd to anyone who has read even a handful of Updike's more than 40 books, nevertheless has been made so often that it is worth Pritchard's long rebuttal.

Jonathan Wilson, New York Times Book Review, 24 Sept. 2000 Yet from time to time, virtually every parent falls back on threats, often absurd ones that leave Mom and Dad feeling foolish and the problem unresolved.

Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Parenting, December/January 1996 The charges against him are obviously absurd. absurd claims of having been abducted by UFO's See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The setup of Bad Sisters is deliberately absurd, a throwback to sillier shows such as Desperate Housewives and Why Women Kill.

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2022 But subordinating art to political imperatives, as Rivera did, is equally absurd and leads directly to kitsch.

Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 Their connection overwhelmed pretty much everything else in the show and to end with it unrealized was just absurd.

Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 This questions’ description of January 6th as a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol is patently absurd.

Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2022 Awarding $20,000 in forgiveness for any Pell Grant recipient who started and maintained a business in a disadvantaged community for three years seems even more absurd in retrospect.

Julian Epp, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2022 The questions of whether and how to relieve them are subject to deliberation and scrutiny that would seem absurd under any other circumstances.

Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 A decade ago, the notion that a giant asset manager’s leader would make an environmental issue his primary talking point might have seemed absurd.

Jim O'leary, Forbes, 24 June 2022 After the loss of thirty-one more American lives to two separate shooters armed with AR-15-style rifles, both of whom had just turned eighteen, the refusal to raise the age requirement for semi-automatic rifles seems particularly absurd.

John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022 See More

Kids Definition

absurd

adjective

ab·surd əb-ˈsərd How to pronounce absurd (audio)

-ˈzərd

: completely foolish, unreasonable, or untrue : ridiculous

His claims are absurd.

单词	absurdness
释义	absurd 1 of 2 adjective ab·surd əb-ˈsərd -ˈzərd 1 : ridiculously unreasonable, unsound, or incongruous an absurd argument : extremely silly or ridiculous absurd humor 2 : having no rational or orderly relationship to human life : meaningless an absurd universe also : lacking order or value an absurd existence 3 : dealing with the absurd (see absurd entry 2) or with absurdism absurd theater absurdly adverb absurdness noun absurd 2 of 2 noun : the state or condition in which human beings exist in an irrational and meaningless universe and in which human life has no ultimate meaning —usually used with the the theater of the absurd Did you know? Making Sense of Absurd Absurd contains the rarer related adjective surd, which, like absurd, derives from the Latin surdus ("deaf, silent, stupid"). Surd can mean "lacking sense or irrational," much like absurd: While the grandparents might scratch their heads at the Star Wars references, the actors and perhaps some younger parents likely delighted in manic, jumbled and surd structure of the play. –Patrick Clement, Kiowa County Signal (Greensburg, Kansas), 23 Jan. 2013 Absurd stresses a lack of logical sense or harmonious agreement, of parts (such as a premise and a conclusion) not fitting together. In philosophy, it describes the problem of trying to distill meaning from one's experiences. In A Discourse on Novelty and Creation (1975), Carl R. Hausman writes, "There is an incongruity, an inconsistency, a conflict with a context that appears as lawful, orderly experience. As [Albert] Camus points out, absurdity 'springs from a comparison,' a comparison between two aspects of reality which seem to be out of harmony." Synonyms Adjective bizarre crazy fanciful fantastic fantastical foolish insane nonsensical preposterous unreal wild See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective In an era when federal judges issue rulings that in their impact often rival the lawmaking of any legislature in the land, it is increasingly absurd that their proceedings should remain off-limits to the same wider public scrutiny that news cameras have brought to courts in 48 states. Editor & Publisher, 14 July 2003 By the time Showalter was fired one day after the end of last season, the stories of how he carried his attention to detail to absurd lengths—including his insistence that the A on the players' socks be completely visible—had been well circulated. Phil Taylor, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 2001 This criticism, patently absurd to anyone who has read even a handful of Updike's more than 40 books, nevertheless has been made so often that it is worth Pritchard's long rebuttal. Jonathan Wilson, New York Times Book Review, 24 Sept. 2000 Yet from time to time, virtually every parent falls back on threats, often absurd ones that leave Mom and Dad feeling foolish and the problem unresolved. Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Parenting, December/January 1996 The charges against him are obviously absurd. absurd claims of having been abducted by UFO's See More Recent Examples on the Web Adjective The setup of Bad Sisters is deliberately absurd, a throwback to sillier shows such as Desperate Housewives and Why Women Kill. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2022 But subordinating art to political imperatives, as Rivera did, is equally absurd and leads directly to kitsch. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022 Their connection overwhelmed pretty much everything else in the show and to end with it unrealized was just absurd. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 This questions’ description of January 6th as a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol is patently absurd. Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2022 Awarding $20,000 in forgiveness for any Pell Grant recipient who started and maintained a business in a disadvantaged community for three years seems even more absurd in retrospect. Julian Epp, The New Republic, 30 Aug. 2022 The questions of whether and how to relieve them are subject to deliberation and scrutiny that would seem absurd under any other circumstances. Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2022 A decade ago, the notion that a giant asset manager’s leader would make an environmental issue his primary talking point might have seemed absurd. Jim O'leary, Forbes, 24 June 2022 After the loss of thirty-one more American lives to two separate shooters armed with AR-15-style rifles, both of whom had just turned eighteen, the refusal to raise the age requirement for semi-automatic rifles seems particularly absurd. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 13 June 2022 See More Word History Etymology Adjective borrowed from Middle French absurde, going back to Old French absorde, borrowed from Latin absurdus "out of tune, uncouth, inappropriate, ridiculous," from ab- ab- + surdus "unhearing, deaf, muffled, dull" — more at surd entry 1 Noun borrowed from French (l')absurde, derivative of absurde absurd entry 1 First Known Use Adjective 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun 1946, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing absurd theater of the absurd the absurd theater of the absurd the absurd Kids Definition absurd adjective ab·surd əb-ˈsərd -ˈzərd : completely foolish, unreasonable, or untrue : ridiculous His claims are absurd. Choose the Right Synonym for absurd absurd, foolish, and silly mean not showing good sense. absurd is used when something is not in keeping with common sense, good reasoning, or accepted ideas. The notion that horses can talk is absurd. foolish is used when something is not thought of by others as wise or sensible. You would be foolish to invest your money in that. silly is used when something makes no sense and has no purpose. They had a silly argument over who ate the most. absurdness noun as in absurdity Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance absurdity craziness idiocy witlessness madness foolishness senselessness inanity stupidity insanity buffoonery imbecility tomfoolery lunacy foppery bêtise inaneness asininity folly nonsense foolery fatuity shenanigan(s) twaddle blunder monkeyshine(s) goof drivel flub bungle humbug howler Antonyms & Near Antonyms wisdom prudence sagacity discretion forethought inspiration brainstorm See More
随便看	sour orange sour plum sour rot sour salt sour sap sour scab sour trefoil sour trifoly sour tupelo sour-cake sour-sweet sourballs sourberry sourbreades sourbreads sourbush source source code source language source material source region source rock sourcebook sourcebooks sourced

absurd

adjective

noun

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing absurd

Kids Definition

adjective

Choose the Right Synonym for absurd

noun