absurd

IPA/əbˈsɜːd/
KK[əbsˈɚd]IPA/əbˈsɜːrd/

absurd — adjective

  • absurdpositive
  • more absurdcomparative
  • most absurdsuperlative

1. so far from what makes sense that it is foolish, often funny, and impossible to

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

so far from what makes sense that it is foolish, often funny, and impossible to take seriously — like wearing a thick coat at the beach, or claiming a goldfish can drive a car.

Example

Zara thought it was absurd to pay forty dollars for a single cupcake at the bakery.

it is absurd + to-infinitive

Viraj made an absurd suggestion: that the cat had eaten all the homework.

absurd + noun (suggestion, idea, claim)

Common collocations
  • absurd idea
  • absurd suggestion
  • absurd claim
  • patently absurd
  • frankly absurd
Synonyms
  • ridiculous

    very close in meaning; slightly more informal and emotional

  • ludicrous

    stronger and more formal; emphasises that something deserves laughter

  • preposterous

    formal; suggests outrage as well as disbelief

  • silly

    much milder; often affectionate rather than dismissive

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

it is absurd + to-infinitive

it is absurd + that-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used in the frame 'it is/seems absurd to…' or 'it is/seems absurd that…' when judging an action or claim from the outside. Carries a dismissive tone — the speaker rejects the idea as not worth serious thought.

Common Mistakes

I felt absurd when I forgot my keys.
I felt silly when I forgot my keys.
'absurd' describes ideas, claims, or situations judged from outside; for personal embarrassment use 'silly' or 'foolish'.
The price is absurd expensive.
The price is absurdly expensive.
use the adverb form before another adjective.

2. used with 'the' before this word to talk about events or situations as a group w

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

used with 'the' before this word to talk about events or situations as a group when they are strange, illogical, and feel unreal — the kind of thing you might see in a dream or a comedy film.

Example

The novel takes its readers from everyday life into the absurd.

into the absurd (noun use)

Amara's short films often blur the line between the real and the absurd.

the real and the absurd

Common collocations
  • into the absurd
  • border on the absurd
  • verge on the absurd
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the absurd (as noun phrase)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is a noun phrase formed with 'the absurd', referring to a category of strange, dreamlike happenings. Sense 1 modifies a specific idea or thing.

Common Mistakes

Many absurds happened that day.
Many absurd things happened that day.
'the absurd' has no plural; use 'absurd things/events' for countable cases.

absurd — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words mark something as not deserving serious thought, but they differ in tone and force. 'Silly' is the mildest and often affectionate — a child wearing socks on their hands is silly, not absurd. 'Absurd' is cooler and more analytical: the speaker stands back and judges the idea as outside reason. 'Ridiculous' is closer to absurd but more emotional, often spoken in irritation: 'This price is ridiculous!' 'Ludicrous' is stronger and more formal, suggesting the listener should laugh out loud. 'Preposterous' is the most formal and indignant — usually reserved for claims the speaker finds offensive, as in 'a preposterous accusation'. So you might call a friend's plan silly, the price of a cupcake ridiculous or absurd, a movie scene ludicrous, and a politician's denial preposterous.

absurd ↗ridiculous ↗ludicrous ↗preposteroussilly ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • border on the absurd
  • verge on the absurd
  • reduce to the absurd
  • theatre of the absurd

Prepositions

  • to (it is absurd to…)
  • that (it is absurd that…)

Etymology

LatinMiddle FrenchEnglish

English borrowed 'absurd' in the mid-1500s from Middle French 'absurde', which came from Latin 'absurdus' meaning 'out of tune, harsh, foolish'. The Latin word is built from 'ab-' (away from) and 'surdus' (deaf, dull-sounding) — so the original picture is of a sound that hurts the ear, then by extension a thought that hurts the mind. The philosophical noun sense, 'the absurd', is much younger, growing out of twentieth-century French existentialist writing, especially Albert Camus.