preposterous

adjective

pre·​pos·​ter·​ous pri-ˈpä-st(ə-)rəs 

: contrary to nature, reason, or common sense : absurd

The whole idea is preposterous!

preposterously adverb

preposterousness noun

Synonyms of preposterous

• absurd
• bizarre
• foolish
• unreal
• insane

Examples of preposterous in a Sentence

The whole idea is preposterous!

the idea that extraterrestrials built the pyramids is preposterous

Recent Examples on the Web

Setting aside the governor’s preposterous revenue claims, the bigger elephant in the room is the ongoing frustration with Maryland’s current transit infrastructure. —Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026

One of the blog’s repeated and by all accounts preposterous anti-semitic rants was Boyne’s claim that the state’s family courts were controlled by a cabal of judges, lawyers and mental health professionals who were profiting by their decisions. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026

Sure, there is value to be mined in non-premium positions, but relying on rookies to plug a half-dozen holes — in an effort to build a championship roster — is preposterous. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026

The idea that a normal person could work to transform themselves into a model is preposterous, like spinning straw into gold. —Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin praeposterus, literally, in the wrong order, from prae- + posterus hinder, following — more at posterior

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

preposterous

adjective

pre·​pos·​ter·​ous pri-ˈpäs-t(ə-)rəs 

: making little or no sense : absurd

preposterously adverb

preposterousness noun

Etymology

from Latin praeposterus, literally, "having the rear part in front," from prae- "in front, before" and posterus "coming behind, following"

Word Origin

The familiar expression "putting the cart before the horse" comes very close to the literal sense of the word preposterous. The Romans formed their Latin adjective praeposterus from prae-, meaning "before," and posterus, meaning "following." They at first used it to mean "having that first which ought to be last," like having a cart ahead of the horse that is pulling it. Praeposterus was used to describe something that was out of the normal or logical order or position. From this developed the more general sense of "ridiculous, absurd." These meanings were borrowed into English in the 16th century. Although preposterous is seldom used in its literal sense nowadays, we still use it to describe something that seems so unreasonable as to be ridiculous.