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 of absurdity

• 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

Zamiri aims to send up the crass monetization of a cultural boom, turning up the film’s absurdity knob to highlight the very real ways in which record labels and other corporate interests attach themselves vampirically to artistic success. —Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 24 Jan. 2026

Wilson’s whole deal might best be summed up as an ongoing riff on the absurdity of living and trying to make art in capitalism. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026

Money, power, and corruption are miniaturized to the same scale as talent contests, school uniforms, and young love, suggesting that Cash’s comic chops tend toward absurdity rather than satire. —Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026

According to Day, the film captures both the absurdity and the emotional toll of the band’s long-running self-destruction. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 17 Jan. 2026

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