absurdity

noun

ab·​sur·​di·​ty əb-ˈsər-də-tē  -ˈzər- 

plural absurdities

1

: the quality or state of being absurd : absurdness

They laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

2

: something that is absurd

the absurdities of life

Synonyms

• insanity
• idiocy

Examples of absurdity in a Sentence

to say men can't cook as well as women is of course an absurdity

the absurdity of expecting a 98-year-old woman to adequately supervise four six-year-olds

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid the absurdity, the women slowly chip away at each other’s defences – finding unexpected friendship, meaning, and a strange kind of freedom. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025

The set piece is exhilarating, not exhausting, and the heightened absurdity of it all is part of the fun. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 July 2025

Understandably, a fury arose over this absurdity, but turns out there is a reason behind it all. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 July 2025

In the special, Copano talks about identity, fatherhood, and cultural whiplash, capturing humor in the ride through the immigrant experience, millennial parenting, and the absurdity of living between two cultures. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English absurditee "dissonance, unjust practice," borrowed from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French absurdité, borrowed from Late Latin absurditāt-, absurditās, from Latin absurdus absurd entry 1 + -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined at sense 2