1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

preposterousness

noun

Definition of preposterousnessnext
as in insanity
lack of good sense or judgment laughed at the sheer preposterousness of the idea

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preposterousness Boy stuff and the preposterousness of it all. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025 Italian football is compelling in its sheer unpredictability, the sweep of its beauty and preposterousness on so many levels. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preposterousness
  1. insanity
  2. madness
  3. simplicity
  4. absurdity
  5. craziness
Noun
  • Descano’s side went along with his insanity defense after approving a mental health evaluation by psychologist Eric Drogin, court records show.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Eleven of the 12 jurors accepted the defense’s argument that Clancy had acute postpartum psychosis and should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of insanity
Noun
  • The idea of building a powerful machine without such safeguards was madness.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Buffalo Bills games are Disney World for NFL tailgating debauchery, but there's a method to the madness.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of madness
Noun
  • Much like Dear Donna at day, the menu aims for simplicity and brevity, approachability and warm sentimentality.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a charmingly old-school simplicity to the proceedings.
    — Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of simplicity
Noun
  • As the interviewer, Clark had a responsibility to identify the absurdity of the claim.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The release might be pleasure, humour, violence, absurdity, beauty, desire.
    — PhotoVogue, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of absurdity
Noun
  • Jacksonville has a successful Triple-A franchise, the Jumbo Shrimp, that won its league last year, bringing fun theme nights, quirky mascots and between-inning craziness.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
  • And there’s plenty more moving yet outrageous craziness to come.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of craziness

Browse Nearby Words

preposterous
preposterousness
prepotency
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preposterousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterousness. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of argot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All