absurdity
noun
ab·sur·di·ty
əb-ˈsər-də-tē 
-ˈzər-
-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
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
None of the above questions were answered in the story, nor was the absurdity of how few households in the Bay Area, surely less than 10 percent, would be able to buy that house.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Jones, never winking at the rampant absurdity, gives the proceedings a little grounding.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Baltimore is also a city that can’t catch a break, full of people who find joy in its absurdities.
—Rachel Gutman-Wei, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
Thankfully, director David Wain understands how to ground that absurdity and sets Cooper up for success.
—Eric Farwell, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024
Trump, on the other hand, retains all his self-aware absurdity even while creating a political persona of immense consequence.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024
As Tanner’s novel explores these topics, its depiction of Jules’s relationships also highlights absurdities of contemporary culture and the consequences of self-absorption.
—The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Filmed at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California, Crazy Good sees Brennan cracking jokes about everything from mental health and the absurdity of human tendencies, to crypto and millionaire mindsets.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
Editor’s picks Even more frustrating is the show’s struggle to achieve the balance of absurdity and pathos that made satires like Strangelove strike such a chord back in the Sixties.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Jones, never winking at the rampant absurdity, gives the proceedings a little grounding.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Baltimore is also a city that can’t catch a break, full of people who find joy in its absurdities.
—Rachel Gutman-Wei, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2024
Thankfully, director David Wain understands how to ground that absurdity and sets Cooper up for success.
—Eric Farwell, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024
Trump, on the other hand, retains all his self-aware absurdity even while creating a political persona of immense consequence.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024
As Tanner’s novel explores these topics, its depiction of Jules’s relationships also highlights absurdities of contemporary culture and the consequences of self-absorption.
—The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Filmed at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, California, Crazy Good sees Brennan cracking jokes about everything from mental health and the absurdity of human tendencies, to crypto and millionaire mindsets.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
Editor’s picks Even more frustrating is the show’s struggle to achieve the balance of absurdity and pathos that made satires like Strangelove strike such a chord back in the Sixties.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'absurdity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to absurdity
Dictionary Entries Near absurdity
Cite this Entry
“Absurdity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/absurdity. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share