absurd

adjective ab·surd \ əb-ˈsərd , -ˈzərd \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: absurd in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Making Sense of absurd

Definition of absurd

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 ²absurd) or with absurdism

absurd theater

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absurdly

adverb

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absurdness

noun

See absurd defined for English-language learners

See absurd defined for kids

Examples of absurd in a Sentence

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 of absurd from the Web

Just about everything about the area was, and still is, absurd.

— jose lambiet, miamiherald, "Parents now dead, Gables-born author releasing 'backdoor memoirs'," 7 June 2018
The male sage grouse is perhaps the only thing more absurd than a female robotic sage grouse.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Why Scientists Turned This Taxidermy Bird Into a Robot," 1 June 2018
Personal Space is a collection of stories about the uncomfortable, funny, and downright absurd experiences that only happen in a home.

— laura raskin, Curbed, "A daughter recounts her mother’s memory loss—and mounting fascination with crow figurines," 18 May 2018
On the one hand, the notion of trying to teach someone the game of football from the ground up in an NFL setting is absurd.

— les bowen, Philly.com, "Jordan Mailata is so big, it's hard to keep expectations small," 25 May 2018
The idea that Francis’s love for a gay man as a gay man somehow rips apart the fabric of the church and implies that Francis is guilty of heresy is absurd.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Why We Should Say Yes to Drugs," 25 May 2018
The idea that black children have the luxury to be as oblivious to the world around them as white children is absurd.

— kirsten west savali, The Root, "‘Highly Offended’ White Teacher Kicked My 9-Year-Old Son Out of Class for Taking Knee During Pledge," 21 May 2018
Though the fiction was absurd, the reality was tragic.

— jefferson chase, USA TODAY, "Hitler's teeth analysis dispels myths of Nazi leader's survival," 21 May 2018
Harvick's recent run of form — really his entire season to date — has been absurd.

— brendan marks, charlotteobserver, "Three things to watch for – and one unknown – in Saturday's NASCAR All-Star Race | Charlotte Observer," 18 May 2018

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.

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."

Origin and Etymology of absurd

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 ¹surd

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1530

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

absurd Synonyms

Phrases

out to lunch;

absurd

noun ab·surd \ əb-ˈsərd , -ˈzərd \

Definition of absurd

: 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

Origin and Etymology of absurd

borrowed from French (l')absurde, derivative of absurde ¹absurd

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1946

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ABSURD Defined for Kids

absurd

adjective ab·surd \ əb-ˈsərd , -ˈzərd \

Definition of absurd for Students

: completely foolish, unreasonable, or untrue : ridiculous

His claims are absurd.

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absurdly

adverb

Synonym Discussion of 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.