absurdity

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noun ab·sur·di·ty \ əb-ˈsər-də-tē , -ˈzər- \

Definition of absurdity

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

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 of absurdity from the Web

The already surreal recruiting dance between Mitchell Robinson and Western Kentucky University has hit a new level of comedic absurdity.

— chris white, The Courier-Journal, "WKU's Mitchell Robinson recruiting saga reaches new level of absurdity with Twitter meme," 28 Aug. 2017
Many a meme has surfaced in recent weeks to challenge the absurdity of Game of Thrones Season 7, from the pacing to its movement of characters across vast swaths of land in a short period of time.

— julie kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Even a Major Twist Couldn't Save This Week's Episode of Game of Thrones," 22 Aug. 2017
By Sean Gregory | Photographs by Christaan Felber for TIME Las Vegas is America’s capital city of absurdity, where gambling palaces rise from the desert, illusionists escape from straitjackets and anyone can get rich quick.

— TIME.com, "The Spectacle in Sin City," 18 Aug. 2017
Along with Eric Garland, Claude Taylor, Andrew Laufer, and a few other sorry victims of early onset absurdity, Mensch provides hope and titillation to the illiterate and the credulous, more than 250,000 of whom have elected to follow her on Twitter.

— charles c. w. cooke, National Review, "Louise Mensch’s Destructive Fantasies," 20 July 2017
While both men are certainly correct that Washington gridlock has reached a point of absurdity, neither brought up the Trump administration’s role in turning the dysfunction on Capitol Hill up to 11.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Trump Jr.’s Russian “Translator” Allegedly Laundered Billions Through U.S. Banks," 18 July 2017
Nigeria was not on the list, but the cruelty and absurdity of the policy was vivid.

— teju cole, New York Times, "My Grandmother’s Shroud," 11 July 2017
Footage of the race, which was supposed to have been shot by a BBC crew, with James Marsden playing the reporter who covers the entire event, reveals the absurdities that unfold along the way.

— rick bentley, star-telegram.com, "HBO’s ‘Tour de Pharmacy’ overdoses on juvenile humor," 5 July 2017
Maybe there’s peace of mind in giving yourself a break and allowing that some of your preference for order is just normal pragmatism, and not all a consequence of parental absurdity.

— carolyn hax, Detroit Free Press, "Letting go of the micromanagement impulse," 28 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of absurdity

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 ¹absurd + -itāt-, -itās -ity

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First Known Use: circa 1525

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absurdity Synonyms

ABSURDITY Defined for Kids

absurdity

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noun ab·sur·di·ty \ əb-ˈsər-də-tē , -ˈzər- \

Definition of absurdity for Students

plural absurdities

1 :the fact of being ridiculous

the absurdity of the situation

2 :something that is ridiculous

Every day there is some new absurdity to deal with.

Learn More about absurdity

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for absurdity Spanish Central: Translation of absurdity Nglish: Translation of absurdity for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of absurdity for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about absurdity

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absurdity

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absurdity

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