absurd

(əb-sûrd', -zûrd')
adj.

1. Ridiculously incongruous or unreasonable. See synonyms at foolish.
2. Of, relating to, or manifesting the view that there is no order or value in human life or in the universe.
3. Of or relating to absurdism or the absurd.

n.
The condition or state in which humans exist in a meaningless, irrational universe wherein people's lives have no purpose or meaning. Used chiefly with the.

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

absurdity ab·surd'i·ty (-sûr'dĭ-tē, -zûr'-) or ab·surd'ness n.
absurdly ab·surd'ly adv.

View more Literature & Language videos

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. See ability/inability, knowledge/ignorance.

adj

Definition: ridiculous, senseless
Antonyms: certain, logical, rational, reasonable, sensible, wise

absurd, the, a term derived from the existentialism of Albert Camus, and often applied to the modern sense of human purposelessness in a universe without meaning or value. Many 20th‐century writers of prose fiction have stressed the absurd nature of human existence: notable instances are the novels and stories of Franz Kafka, in which the characters face alarmingly incomprehensible predicaments. The critic Martin Esslin coined the phrase theatre of the absurd in 1961 to refer to a number of dramatists of the 1950s (led by Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco) whose works evoke the absurd by abandoning logical form, character, and dialogue together with realistic illusion. The classic work of absurdist theatre is Beckett's En attendant Godot (Waiting for Godot, 1952), which revives some of the conventions of clowning and farce to represent the impossibility of purposeful action and the paralysis of human aspiration. Other dramatists associated with the theatre of the absurd include Edward Albee, Jean Genet, Harold Pinter, and Václav Havel. For a fuller account, consult Arnold P. Hinchliffe, The Absurd (1969).

Any belief that is obviously untenable (see also reductio ad absurdum). In existentialism, a term for the pointless or meaningless nature of human life and action.

IN BRIEF: Very funny, ridiculous.

If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. — Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

as in: an illogical or crazy idea or suggestion
sign description: The 4-handshape is pulled away from the forehead and moves in a small spinning motion. This is accompanied by a odd facial expression.

---

For a list of words related to absurdity, see:

• Confusion

---

See words rhyming with "absurdity."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Absurd.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - absurd, urimelig, upassende
n. - absurditet, meningsløshed

Nederlands (Dutch)
absurd, belachelijk, het absurde

Français (French)
adj. - absurde, déraisonnable, idiot, insensé
n. - (Philos) absurde

Deutsch (German)
adj. - absurd, sinnwidrig, ungereimt, unsinnig
n. - das Absurde

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - παράλογος, γελοίος, αλλόκοτος
n. - (το) παράλογο

Italiano (Italian)
assurdo

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - absurdo
n. - absurdo (m)

Русский (Russian)
нелепый, абсурдный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - absurdo, disparatado, insensato
n. - el absurdo, lo disparatado, lo insensato

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - orimlig, befängd
n. - det absurda

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
不合理的, 荒谬的, 可笑的, 愚蠢的, 不合理的事情荒谬的事情可笑的事情愚蠢的事情

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 不合理的, 荒謬的, 可笑的, 愚蠢的
n. - 不合理的事情荒謬的事情可笑的事情愚蠢的事情

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 불합리한, 어리석은
n. - 부조리

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 不合理な, 自家撞着に陥った, 不条理な
n. - ばかばかしさ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) سخيف, مضحك, مناف للعقل (الاسم) سخف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮בלתי-הגיוני, מגוחך, שטותי, לא מתאים, מופרך הגיונית, אבסורדי‬
n. - ‮תפריך, אבסורד‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.