absurd

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ab·surd

(əb-sûrd′, -zûrd′)

adj.

a. Extremely unreasonable, incongruous, or inappropriate: an absurd request.

b. Impossible to take seriously; silly: a character who goes through many absurd adventures. See Synonyms at foolish.

2. Of, relating to, or manifesting the view that there is no order or meaning in human life or in the universe.

3. Of or relating to absurdism.

The condition or state in which humans exist in an absurd universe, without meaning or purpose. Used chiefly with the.

[Latin absurdus, out of tune, absurd : ab-, intensive pref.; see ab-¹ + surdus, deaf, muffled.]

ab·surd′i·ty (-sûr′dĭ-tē, -zûr′-), ab·surd′ness n.

ab·surd′ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

absurd

(əbˈsɜːd)

adj

1. at variance with reason; manifestly false

2. ludicrous; ridiculous

(Philosophy) the absurd (sometimes capital) philosophy the conception of the world, esp in Existentialist thought, as neither designed nor predictable but irrational and meaningless

[C16: via French from Latin absurdus dissonant, senseless, from ab-¹ (intensive) + surdus dull-sounding, indistinct]

abˈsurdity, abˈsurdness n

abˈsurdly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ab•surd

(æbˈsɜrd, -ˈzɜrd)

adj.

1. utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false.

2. the absurd, the quality or condition of existing in a meaningless and irrational world.

[1550–60; < Latin absurdus out of tune, uncouth, ridiculous. See ab-, surd]

ab•surd′ly, adv.

ab•surd′ness, n.

syn: absurd, ridiculous, preposterous all mean inconsistent with reason or common sense. absurd means utterly opposed to truth or reason: an absurd claim. ridiculous implies that something is fit only to be laughed at, perhaps contemptuously: a ridiculous suggestion. preposterous implies an extreme of foolishness: a preposterous proposal.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	absurd - a situation in which life seems irrational and meaningless; "The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth"--Albert Camus the absurd situation, state of affairs - the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time; "the present international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation"- Franklin D.Roosevelt
Adj.	1.	absurd - inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense; "the absurd predicament of seeming to argue that virtue is highly desirable but intensely unpleasant"- Walter Lippman illogical, unlogical - lacking in correct logical relation
	2.	absurd - incongruous;inviting ridicule; "the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework"; "that's a cockeyed idea"; "ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer"; "a contribution so small as to be laughable"; "it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion"; "a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history"; "her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous" derisory, laughable, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous, cockeyed, ludicrous, idiotic foolish - devoid of good sense or judgment; "foolish remarks"; "a foolish decision"

absurd

adjective ridiculous, crazy (informal), silly, incredible, outrageous, foolish, unbelievable, daft (informal), hilarious, ludicrous, meaningless, unreasonable, irrational, senseless, preposterous, laughable, funny, stupid, farcical, illogical, incongruous, comical, zany, idiotic, nonsensical, inane, dumb-ass (slang), cockamamie (slang, chiefly U.S.) They go to absurd lengths just to avoid paying a few pounds.
smart, wise, reasonable, intelligent, sensible, rational, logical, prudent, sagacious

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

absurd

adjective

So senseless as to be laughable:

foolish, harebrained, idiotic, imbecilic, insane, lunatic, mad, moronic, nonsensical, preposterous, silly, softheaded, tomfool, unearthly, zany.

Informal: cockeyed, crazy, loony, loopy.

Slang: balmy, dippy, dopey, jerky, sappy, wacky.

Translations

سَخِيفسَخِيف، مُنَاف لِلعَقْل، مُضْحِك

absurdnínesmyslný

absurdmeningsløsurimelig

absurd lächerlich widersinnig

παράλογος αποκλίνων

absurdo disparatado

järjetön

absurdenawakaberrant

apsurdan

fáránlegur

assurdo ridicolo assurda

ばかげた愚かな愚鈍馬鹿馬鹿らしい

불합리한

absurdasabsurdiškaiabsurdiškasabsurdiškumasnesąmonė

absurdssmieklīgs

absurd

absurd meningsløs urimelig

absurdalny absurd

absurdo absurda

absurdiraţional

абсурдный нелепый

absurdný

absurdenneumen

absurd

ไร้สาระ

saçma gülünç

ngớ ngẩn

荒唐的荒谬的

absurd

[əbˈsɜːd]

A. ADJ [idea, plan] → absurdo; [appearance] → ridículo
don't be absurd! → ¡no digas tonterías!
how absurd! → ¡qué ridículo!
you look absurd in that hat → con ese sombrero estás ridículo

B. N the absurd → el absurdo
the theatre of the absurd → el teatro del absurdo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

absurd

[æbˈsɜː^rd]

adj (= ridiculous) → absurde
that's absurd! → c'est absurde!

(gen) the absurd → l'absurde

(LITERATURE) the absurd → l'absurde

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

absurd

adj → absurd; don’t be absurd! → sei nicht albern; if you think that, you’re just being absurd → du bist ja nicht recht bei Trost, wenn du das glaubst; what an absurd waste of time! → so eine blödsinnige Zeitverschwendung!; the management is being absurd again → das Management spielt mal wieder verrückt (inf); theatre of the absurd → absurdes Theater

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

absurd

[əbˈsɜːd] adj → assurdo/a; (appearance, hat) → ridicolo/a

absurd

(əbˈsəːd) adjective

unreasonable or ridiculous. These demands are absolutely absurd.

abˈsurdly adverb

abˈsurdity (plural abˈsurdities) noun

abˈsurdness noun

absurd

→ سَخِيف absurdní absurd absurd παράλογος absurdo järjetön absurde apsurdan assurdo ばかげた 불합리한 absurd absurd absurdalny absurdo абсурдный absurd ไร้สาระ saçma ngớ ngẩn 荒唐的

absurd

a. absurdo-a; ridículo-a.

References in classic literature ?

It is also absurd for those who promote a community of children to forbid those who love each other from indulging themselves in the last excesses of that passion, while they do not restrain them from the passion itself, or those intercourses which are of all things most improper, between a Father and a son, a brother and a brother, and indeed the thing itself is most absurd.

View in context

What do you mean, Pollyanna, by going to the Ladies' Aid the other day in that absurd fashion about that beggar boy?"

View in context

He said, he doubted not but that all the infidels and hereticks in the world would, if they could, confine honour to their own absurd errors and damnable deceptions; "but honour," says he, "is not therefore manifold, because there are many absurd opinions about it; nor is religion manifold, because there are various sects and heresies in the world.

View in context

This country is absurd with its sentimental regard for individual liberty.

View in context

He is a most absent-minded and absurd fellow, but he has a heart of gold."

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Philip began to read Murger's fascinating, ill-written, absurd masterpiece, and fell at once under its spell.

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The answer given," continued the Grave Person, consulting his own timepiece, "is of no effect, invalid, and absurd."

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It IS so absurd to be an engaged orphan and it IS so absurd to have the girls and the servants scuttling about after one, like mice in the wainscot; and it IS so absurd to be called upon!'

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Though I have this bad habit of soliloquising, and indeed am absurd enough to attempt conversation with a house, yet the reader must realise from the beginning that I am still quite a young man.

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Seeming wise men may make shift to get opinion; but let no man choose them for employment; for certainly you were better take for business, a man somewhat absurd, than over-formal.

View in context

"An appeal will not lie," he thought, with an absurd reversion to professional slang, making the situation more horrible, as the fire of a cigar might light up a tomb.

View in context

Stroeve had set up a Christmas-tree in his studio, and I suspected that we should both find absurd little presents hanging on its festive branches; but he was shy about seeing Strickland again; it was a little humiliating to forgive so easily insults so outrageous, and he wished me to be present at the reconciliation on which he was determined.