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

As Akhavan speaks, the absurdity of reading the lilies as emblems of colonialism is impossible to ignore. —Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026

Church went to the Holy Land in search of sublimity; Twain fastened on the absurdities of those determined to find it. —Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

The ever increasing absurdity turned a familiar mind game between exes into a shrewd illustration of heartbreak’s capacity to create wild distortions of reality. —Paula Mejía, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026

There’s humor, emotion, drama, danger, absurdity and more. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Apr. 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