absurd

1 of 2

adjective

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

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Surd and Absurd

Both surd and its more common cousin absurd come from the Latin word surdus, meaning "unhearing, deaf, muffled, or dull." Absurd traveled through Middle French before arriving in English in the early 16th century. A few decades after its arrival, surd was adopted directly from Latin as a noun used in mathematical contexts to refer to an irrational root, such as √3. By the early 17th century surd had gained a more general application as an adjective describing something that is irrational or otherwise lacks sense, a meaning still in use:

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, The Kiowa County Signal (Greensburg, Kansas), 23 Jan. 2013

The adjective surd also describes speech sounds that are not voiced—for example, the \p\ sound, as opposed to the voiced \b\.

Absurd is of course seen far more frequently. It 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
Every year, the academy tries in its sometimes absurd, admittedly cynical though often quite sincere way to put on a show that reflects the industry at its best. Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 But gossip carried on anyway across social media, with some speculation taking absurd spins (like the one about her getting lost at the Willy Wonka fair in Glasgow). Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024 Lane, as a 14 year old freshman, tallied an absurd .493 batting average and hit six home runs. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 What comes off as absurd is our current landscape of race relations and culture. Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2024 There’s nothing more absurd, the film argues, than the mundane. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2024 Catherine, Princess of Wales, leaves the hospital after abdominal surgery But that hasn’t stopped people from ruminating on her health status and her whereabouts, with the internet erupting with conspiracy theories and absurd memes. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 This socialist redistribution scheme is so absurd that even Democrats oppose it. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 Use light-hearted anecdotes, clever wordplay, or absurd scenarios to illustrate certain aspects of change. Sherzod Odilov, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'absurd.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of absurd was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near absurd

Cite this Entry

“Absurd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absurd. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

absurd

adjective
ab·​surd
əb-ˈsərd,
-ˈzərd
: completely unreasonable or untrue : ridiculous
absurdity
-ˈsərd-ət-ē
-ˈzərd-
noun
absurdly adverb
absurdness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on absurd

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