Absurd

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Absurd \Ab*surd"\ ([a^]b*s[^u]rd"), a. [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.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           This proffer is absurd and reasonless.   --Shak.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           'This phrase absurd to call a villain great. --Pope.
                                                    --p. 9
     [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
            [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Absurd \Ab*surd"\ ([a^]b*s[^u]rd"), n.
     An absurdity. [Obs.] --Pope.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  absurd
       adj 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 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