absurd

/əbˈsɜrd/ adjective

Origin

From Latin absurdus, meaning "out of tune, incongruous"

Meanings

1. Wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate
2. Ridiculous or silly in a humorous way
3. (Philosophy) Conflicting with reason or logic

Example Sentences

1. The idea of a talking dog is absurd.
2. His absurd outfit made everyone at the party laugh.
3. The play explored the absurd nature of human existence.

Related Words

• Absurdly (adverb)
• Absurdity (noun)
• Absurdness (noun)

Synonyms: preposterous, ridiculous, ludicrous, nonsensical, irrational

Memorization Trick

Think of "AB-surd" as "AB-solutely surd (irrational)". The prefix "ab-" often means "away from" or "not," so "absurd" is something that's completely away from reason or rationality.