absurdism

noun

ab·​surd·​ism əb-ˈsər-ˌdi-zəm  -ˈzər- 

: a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe compare existentialism

Examples of absurdism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other artists have tried to tackle this melodrama by grounding us in specific characters’ perspectives, or by heightening the performances, but Fennell embraces the story’s fundamental absurdism by giving us absurd and often glorious images. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026

And not simply because Haneke’s own brand of bleak absurdism seems to have rubbed off on Lanthimos. —Matt Brennan editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2026

Their trademark humor — that mix of cheeky absurdism and brotherly ribbing — is fully intact, recalling their ‘60s press conferences that won the hearts of a suspicious media. —Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025

The Ha-Ha can be read through lenses of Christian mysticism, absurdism, existentialism, or the Zen Buddhist conception of present-moment awareness as enlightenment. —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

absurd entry 1 + -ism (probably after French absurdisme)

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above