the absurd

noun

1

: a state or condition of extreme silliness or foolishness : an absurd or ridiculous state

Her ideas once seemed reasonable, but now they verge on the absurd.

2

: things that are absurd

a filmmaker who is fascinated with the absurd

Examples of the absurd in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

DeFilippis and his company have found a full-bodied expression of this kind of existential anguish, which is active and charged, both laughable and tragic, its back up against the wall of the absurd. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Mar. 2026

And despite being one of the youngest stand-ups to ever appear on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Einbinder has logged a lot of time on club stages; her 2025 special Everything Must Go demonstrated a serious knack for blending the confessional and the absurd. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2026

Chinese-speaking netizens were amused by the story, and in particular the absurd display of cops escorting the diminutive android. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Mar. 2026

The Giants’ mismanagement of their kicker situation in the last few years has been the theatre of the absurd. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026

Rhymes for the absurd

• afterword
• firebird
• hummingbird
• ladybird
• mockingbird
• overheard
• thunderbird
• undergird
• undeterred
• averred
• bluebird
• byword