reductio ad absurdum

noun

re·​duc·​tio ad ab·​sur·​dum ri-ˈdək-tē-ˌō-ˌad-əb-ˈsər-dəm 

-ˈdək-sē-ō-,

-shē-,

-ˈzər-

1

: disproof of a proposition by showing an absurdity to which it leads when carried to its logical conclusion

2

: the carrying of something to an absurd extreme

Examples of reductio ad absurdum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The plot’s endless recursions are a reductio ad absurdum of the quest for authorial authenticity, particularly acute in the context of African literature. —Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023

Easter Island is to a great extent a reductio ad absurdum of pre-modern man and gifted with a clement regime. —Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2010

The weakness of reductio ad absurdum arguments is that sometimes the opponent just accepts the absurd argument, too. —Dominic Pino, National Review, 3 Mar. 2022

Ross provides a reductio ad absurdum for a quiet digital-age truth: A sprinkling of coveted intellectual property can allow a shrewd company to punch well above its weight. —Washington Post, 30 July 2021

Some might see Trader Joe’s as the reductio ad absurdum of this movement’s political demands. —Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 16 Dec. 2020

The reductio ad absurdum of monument revisionism is thus in sight. —Stanley Kurtz, National Review, 17 Sep. 2020

The reductio ad absurdum of these scenes comes in a brief discussion between Woodward and Trump on racial justice, amid interviews that are ostensibly about the coronavirus. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2020

But believe it or not, this reductio ad absurdum has caused major drama at the Indigenous Music Awards in Winnipeg. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 12 Apr. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, literally, reduction to the absurd

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1