1
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
the idea that extraterrestrials built the pyramids is preposterous
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2
as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a preposterous suggestion to go swimming in this freezing weather
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3
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the movie thriller had such a preposterous plot that we were on the edge of our seats snickering
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preposterous
The idea the Broncos cannot incorporate dig, hook and leak routes is preposterous.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 May 2026
To anyone familiar with high-dimensional geometry, the prospect would seem preposterous.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
The whole thing is frankly preposterous.
—Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
That might be even more preposterous than his throwing a total of 40 pitches at least 100 mph, something that had never been done in a single game since pitch velocities began being tracked in 2008.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 May 2026
To anyone familiar with high-dimensional geometry, the prospect would seem preposterous.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 19 May 2026
The whole thing is frankly preposterous.
—Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026
That might be even more preposterous than his throwing a total of 40 pitches at least 100 mph, something that had never been done in a single game since pitch velocities began being tracked in 2008.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preposterous
Adjective
-
There is always the possibility that something absurd might occur — the equivalent of Neymar’s 2017 move to Paris Saint-Germain, for instance — but that’s extremely unlikely.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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Ironically, the fears of two Republicans advancing were driven by Democratic data vendor Paul Mitchell, who built a prediction machine using absurd inputs like betting odds and polls that cannot account for things like rape allegations.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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Through the fuzz and the bad camera angles emerges an extraordinary catalogue of dummies, flicks, and feints, a hodge-podge of silly tricks.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
To lose that would be silly now.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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Thanks in large part to their four ridiculous last-minute comebacks — one in each playoff round — the Pacers will go down in history as one of the most exciting teams that didn’t win the title.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
-
At its core, most superhero films, for me, are somewhat ridiculous.—
Matt Minton,
Variety,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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Then, to make the situation more bizarre, Arnaldi and Cobolli held a press conference together in the same room despite the former being sick and the latter being two days away from playing in a Grand Slam final.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
7 June 2026
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The astronauts reported bizarre smells, and had issues flushing urine outside the spacecraft as designed.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 June 2026
Adjective
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If the target was foolish enough to reuse passwords, credential thefts like these could enable the compromise of more important accounts.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
3 June 2026
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Backing the Cubs right now seems foolish.—
David Troy OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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By then, Thomsen says, the public perception had shifted from regarding it as tough and controversial to seeing it as desperate and pathetic.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
The plan involved discovering a long lost princess, hopping on a plane to London, breaking into a museum store room, and enlisting the help of a very pathetic historian.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
Rick Devens' coin flip was unreal.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
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The situation only worsens after 9/11, the immediate, unreal impact of which Rivilis sharply captures with a steady pan across a classroom of stunned students, their faces in various states of stricken disbelief, if not simply in their hands.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 May 2026
Adjective
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And that was so arrogant and stupid on my part.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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At some point, Brandon Aiyuk has to learn that stupid decisions come with consequences.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterous. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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