 4 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
absurd
adjective
1: 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 [syn: {unreasonable}]
2: completely devoid of wisdom or good sense; "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" [syn: {cockeyed}, {derisory}, {idiotic},
{laughable}, {ludicrous}, {nonsensical}, {preposterous},
{ridiculous}]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Absurd \Ab*surd"\ ([a^]b*s[^u]rd"), adjective [L. absurdus
harsh-sounding; ab + (prob) a derivative fr. a root svar to
sound; not connected with surd: cf. F. absurde. See
{Syringe}.]
Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed
to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of
common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical;
ridiculous; as, an absurd person, an absurd opinion; an
absurd dream.
This proffer is absurd and reasonless. --Shak.
'This phrase absurd to call a villain great. --Pope.
--p. 9
Syn: Foolish; irrational; ridiculous; preposterous;
inconsistent; incongruous.
Usage: {Absurd}, {Irrational}, {Foolish}, {Preposterous}. Of
these terms, irrational is the weakest, denoting that
which is plainly inconsistent with the dictates of
sound reason; as, an irrational course of life.
Foolish rises higher, and implies either a perversion
of that faculty, or an absolute weakness or fatuity of
mind; as, foolish enterprises. Absurd rises still
higher, denoting that which is plainly opposed to
received notions of propriety and truth; as, an absurd
man, project, opinion, story, argument, etc.
Preposterous rises still higher, and supposes an
absolute inversion in the order of things; or, in
plain terms, a ''putting of the cart before the
horse;'' as, a preposterous suggestion, preposterous
conduct, a preposterous regulation or law.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Absurd \Ab*surd"\ ([a^]b*s[^u]rd"), noun
An absurdity. [Obs.] --Pope.
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
147 Moby Thesaurus words for "absurd":
Pickwickian, a bit thick, a bit thin, abnormal, amusing, anomalous,
asinine, balmy, barred, beyond belief, bizarre, childish,
closed-out, cockamamie, comic, contrary to reason, crazy, curious,
daft, disproportionate, doubtable, doubtful, droll, dubious,
dubitable, eccentric, empty, excluded, extravagant, fantastic,
farcical, fatuitous, fatuous, foolish, freaked out, freaky, funny,
futile, grotesque, hard of belief, hard to believe, harebrained,
high-flown, hilarious, hollow, hopeless, humorous, idiotic, idle,
illogical, imbecile, imbecilic, implausible, impossible, inane,
incoherent, incommensurable, incommensurate, incompatible,
inconceivable, incongruous, inconsequent, inconsistent,
inconsonant, incredible, insane, irrational, irreconcilable, kooky,
laughable, logically impossible, loony, ludicrous, mad,
meaningless, monstrous, moronic, nonsensical, not deserving belief,
not possible, nuts, nutty, odd, oddball, off, off the wall,
open to doubt, open to suspicion, out, out of proportion,
outlandish, outrageous, outre, oxymoronic, paradoxical,
passing belief, passing strange, peculiar, poppycockish, potty,
preposterous, priceless, problematic, prohibited, quaint, queer,
questionable, quizzical, rich, ridiculous, risible, rubbishy,
ruled-out, screaming, self-contradictory, senseless, silly, simple,
singular, skimble-skamble, staggering belief, strange, stupid,
suspect, suspicious, tall, thick, thin, trashy, twaddling, twaddly,
unbelievable, unconvincing, unearthly, ungodly, unimaginable,
unreasonable, unsound, unthinkable, unworthy of belief, vain,
wacky, weird, whimsical, wild, witty, wondrous strange
|
