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
Questlove laughed from a hotel room in Boca Raton, Florida, at the absurd line of questioning that channeled the spirit of an all-too-serious high school teacher grilling a student.
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Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
After Jess runs into Liz in the hospital, the absurd coincidences and conflicts of interest continue to pile up.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025
The fairy tale works its spell through persistent naïveté, by simple defamiliarization that unmasks the institutionalized and the ordinary as the absurd.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
The demonic Mephistopheles appears in the absurd form of a yapping black poodle and grants Faust his wish.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
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Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
After Jess runs into Liz in the hospital, the absurd coincidences and conflicts of interest continue to pile up.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025
The fairy tale works its spell through persistent naïveté, by simple defamiliarization that unmasks the institutionalized and the ordinary as the absurd.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
The demonic Mephistopheles appears in the absurd form of a yapping black poodle and grants Faust his wish.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the absurd
Cite this Entry
“The absurd.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20absurd. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
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