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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
To suggest Trump lacks the power to bring him home is preposterous.
—
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
From our review: Like a Jenga tower with half the pieces removed, Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach’s wobbly script grows more preposterous by the minute.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Both seem to recognize how mind-bogglingly preposterous so much of this is, and both inherently understand the B-movie assignment here.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Like a Jenga tower with half the pieces removed, Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach’s wobbly script grows more preposterous by the minute.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
From our review: Like a Jenga tower with half the pieces removed, Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach’s wobbly script grows more preposterous by the minute.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Both seem to recognize how mind-bogglingly preposterous so much of this is, and both inherently understand the B-movie assignment here.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025
Like a Jenga tower with half the pieces removed, Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach’s wobbly script grows more preposterous by the minute.
—Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preposterous
Adjective
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Once again, that means going to absurd lengths in the quest to facilitate banter between pilots, even if some of those attempts hilariously crash and burn.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 May 2025
-
Judge put up absurd numbers, hitting .427 with a 1.282 OPS, 10 home runs, 32 RBI and a 263 wRC+.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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But many will, in situations where they’re allowed to stretch out, go deep, get silly, or eat hot wings while trying to answer questions.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
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Have a Dance Party Clear the furniture, cue up a playlist with all of Mom's favorite hits (and a few silly, kid-friendly jams), and let loose.—
Laura Broadwell,
Parents,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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As such, the Stars’ best chance is not to get into another track meet like Thursday night’s ridiculous game, won 7-4 by the Avalanche.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
-
Seeing Tristen accept both his mother’s request to stay in the game and the responsibility of leading his team to victory gives the ridiculous exercise that is Restaurant Wars a whole different weight.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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The presentation starts with teaching the compliment sandwich technique, but quickly goes off the rails as the participants ask more bizarre questions.—
Rosa Escandon,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
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Heti’s writing is witty, reflective, and just bizarre enough to capture your interest even as people mill about in your peripheral vision.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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But the Liberals are an electoral machine—something of a rarity on the center-left—that would be foolish to bet against.—
Daniel Block,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
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His cigars weren’t as nasty as his habit of chasing bad money with worse—high living and foolish investments, with second-rate writing meant to plug the gap.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Kenney-Silver delivers a touchingly nuanced performance as Anne, balanced on the fine line between sad as in devastated and sad as in pathetic.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
1 May 2025
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Marathon needs to be given every possible chance to succeed and making Bungie crunch to fix things and throwing it into the wolves as a fall release (one that’s literally on the same day as Borderlands 4, mind you) would be a pathetic excuse for support.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Meeting your life-long love as a child at church may seem unreal.—
India Espy-Jones,
Essence,
28 Apr. 2025
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Spectators and commentators alike were taken aback as the incident unfolded due to the unreal farmer's tan of Phillips.—
Mark Weinstein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In one sense, this isn’t an entirely stupid proposition.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
3 May 2025
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Vel rails against the offender, saying her lover was the kind of warrior the Ghor rebels are trying to be and that her loss is both incalculable and stupid.—
Noel Murray,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterous. Accessed 12 May. 2025.
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