absurd

adjective

ab·surd | \ əb-ˈsərd

Definition of absurd

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

absurd

noun

ab·surd | \ əb-ˈsərd

, -ˈzərd\

Definition of absurd (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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

Other Words from absurd Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Making Sense of Absurd More Example Sentences Learn More about absurd

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Choose the Right Synonym for absurd

Adjective

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.

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, however, 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."

Examples of absurd in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Raising the cost of doing business to expand city government and subsidize solar panels for upper-class citizens is absurd. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: It’s not the scooters, it’s the lack of safety (8/25/19)," 25 Aug. 2019 This is absurd since Chrysler has nothing to do with the payment that Walmart received from the gift card sent to me. — cleveland.com, "Man gets gift card for test drive, then the wheels fall off his tale: Money Matters," 7 Aug. 2019 To sum it up, the show is basically an epic mini-golf tournament with all sorts of fun obstacles and absurd challenges involved. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Steph Curry Had a Lot of People Hating on His New 'Holey Moley' Golf Show," 27 June 2019 Following its long arc, the franchise has traveled from credible working-class grit to the self-consciously absurd and costs be damned, but with the saving grace of self-deprecating humor. — Todd Mccarthy, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw': Film Review," 31 July 2019 The idea of Rick Pitino coaching Louisville against Kentucky was about as absurd as Coach Cal taking the reins at the KFC Yum Center. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "The history behind the Louisville Bats' beautiful Throwback Weekend Riverbats uniforms," 12 July 2019 Directed by Shelley Butler, this funny, deftly unsettling piece displays the absurd and destructive sides of romantic relationships. — Celia Wren, Washington Post, "Anxious men and other world-builders at CATF 2019," 9 July 2019 The Trump administration is taking this argument to an absurd and cruel extreme. — Sally Rooney, The New York Review of Books, "Madeleine Schwartz," 18 Apr. 2019 Modern stories frequently plunge us into lengthy interior monologues, exhaustively describe settings and people’s physical features, delight in the random, absurd, and orthogonal, and end with deliberate ambiguity. — Ferris Jabr, Harper's magazine, "The Story of Storytelling," 10 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'absurd.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for absurd

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

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More Definitions for absurd

absurd

adjective

ab·surd | \ əb-ˈsərd

, -ˈzərd\

absurd

Definition of absurd

Other Words from absurd

Synonyms & Antonyms for absurd

Choose the Right Synonym for absurd

Making Sense of Absurd

Examples of absurd in a Sentence

First Known Use of absurd

History and Etymology for absurd

Kids Definition of absurd

absurd

Definition of absurd

Other Words from absurd

Synonyms & Antonyms for absurd

Choose the Right Synonym for absurd

Making Sense of Absurd

Examples of absurd in a Sentence

First Known Use of absurd

History and Etymology for absurd

Kids Definition of absurd

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