Absurd

Meaning

Absurd means completely unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous, often in a way that makes something difficult to take seriously.

Pronunciation

/əbˈsɜːd/

Word Forms

• Adjective: absurd
• Noun: absurdity
• Adverb: absurdly

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

• absurd idea — an idea that is extremely unreasonable or illogical.
• absurd situation — a situation that is so unreasonable or strange that it seems ridiculous.
• absurd claim — a statement that is obviously unreasonable or difficult to believe.
• absurd notion — an idea that seems completely irrational or ridiculous.
• seem absurd — to appear unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous.
• completely absurd — extremely unreasonable or nonsensical.

Example Sentences

• It would be absurd to expect everything to go perfectly.
• She thought the accusation was completely absurd.
• The idea that money can solve every problem is absurd.
• His explanation sounded so absurd that nobody believed him.
• They found themselves in an absurd situation that none of them could have predicted.

Literary Example

Example:

“I was born to be absurd. I have lived to be absurd. I shall die to be absurd.”

— Robert Smythe Hichens, The Green Carnation

Here, absurd means ridiculous, unreasonable, or contrary to ordinary expectations. The speaker deliberately embraces absurdity as part of his artistic identity.

Story Workshop

This word has not yet appeared in a Story Workshop story. When it does, this section will link directly to the story and highlight the paragraph where the word appears, allowing you to see it used naturally in context.

Coming Soon...

Related Words

Continue exploring words that begin with the letter A.

Navigate the Archive