absurd

English

Etymology

Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”), from ab + surdus (“deaf”). Probably derived from the root svar (“to sound”); not connected with surd.

Pronunciation

• (Canada) IPA: /æbˈzɝd/, SAMPA: /{b"s@`d/
• (UK) IPA: /əbˈsɜːd/, SAMPA: /@b"s3:d/
• (US) IPA: /əbˈsɝd/, SAMPA: /@b"s@`d/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)d

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder or more absurd, superlative absurdest or most absurd)

1. Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous.

   • This proffer is absurd and reasonless. - Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, V-iv
   • This phrase absurd to call a villain great. - Alexander Pope

Usage notes

• Absurd is an adjective of abstract nouns

Among the synonyms:

• 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.

Synonyms

• foolish, irrational, ridiculous, preposterous, inconsistent, incongruous, ludicrous
• See also Wikisaurus:absurd

Derived terms

• absurdly, absurdity

Translations

contrary to reason or propriety

Albanian: absurd (sq) Bulgarian: абсурден (bg), нелеп (bg), безсмислен (bg) Catalan: absurd (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 荒謬 (zh), 荒谬 (zh) (huāngmiù), 荒唐 (zh) (huāngtáng), 荒誕 (zh), 荒诞 (zh) (huāngdàn), (literary) 悖謬 (zh), 悖谬 (zh) (bèimiù) Czech: absurdní (cs) Danish: absurd (da) Dutch: absurd (nl) Esperanto: absurda (eo) Estonian: absurdne (et), mõttetu (et) Finnish: absurdi (fi), järjetön (fi) French: absurde (fr) German: absurd (de) Hebrew: אבסורד (he) Hungarian: abszurd (hu) Ido: absurda (io)

Interlingua: absurde (ia) Italian: assurdo (it) Japanese: 馬鹿らしい (ja) (bakarashī), 愚かな (ja) (orokana) Latin: absurdus (la) Latvian: absurdais bezjēdzīgais Macedonian: апсурд (mk) Norwegian: absurd, tåpelig (no) Novial: absurdi Polish: absurdalny (pl) Portuguese: absurdo (pt) Romanian: absurd (ro), irațional (ro) Russian: абсурдный (ru) (absúrdnyj), нелепый (ru) (nelépyj) Scottish Gaelic: amaideach (gd) Serbian: Apsurd Slovene: absúrden (sl) Spanish: absurdo (es) Swedish: absurd (sv), befängd (sv)

Noun

absurd (plural absurds)

Wikipedia

1. (obsolete) An absurdity. — Alexander Pope
2. (with the) That which is absurd.
3. (philosophy) The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any.

Derived terms

• theatre of the absurd

Translations

obsolete: an absurdity

Bulgarian: абсурд (bg) Danish: absurditet (da) c. Dutch: absurd (nl) n. Hungarian: abszurdum (hu)

Japanese: 馬鹿 (ja) (baka) Polish: absurd (pl) m. Romanian: absurd (ro) Russian: абсурд (ru) (absúrd) m.

that which is absurd

Bulgarian: абсурд (bg), нелепост (bg) Danish: absurditet (da) c.

Japanese: 愚鈍 (ja) (gudon) Russian: абсурд (ru) (absúrd) m., нелепость (ru) (nelépost') f.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Novial: absurde

References

• absurd in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• absurd in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

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Catalan

Adjective

absurd m. (feminine absurda, masculine plural absurds, feminine plural absurdes)

1. absurd

Derived terms

• absurdament

Noun

absurd m. (plural absurds)

1. absurdity

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Danish

Etymology

From Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /absurd/, [ɑbˈsuɐ̯ˀd̥]

Adjective

absurd (neuter absurd, definite and plural absurde)

1. absurd
2. (adverbial) absurdly

Derived terms

• absurditet

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German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative am absurdesten)

1. absurd

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Luxembourgish

Adjective

absurd

1. absurd

Declension

declension of absurd

	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
accusative	absurden	absurd	absurd	absurd
nominative	absurden	absurd	absurd	absurd
dative	absurden	absurder	absurden	absurden

Related terms

• Absurditéit

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Polish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

absurd m.

1. nonsense

   Jego propozycje to jeden wielki absurd.

   His suggestions are one big nonsense.

Declension

    declension of absurd

	singular	plural
nominative	absurd	absurdy
genitive	absurdu	absurdów
dative	absurdowi	absurdom
accusative	absurd	absurdy
instrumental	absurdem	absurdami
locative	absurdzie	absurdach
vocative	absurdzie	absurdy

Derived terms

• absurdalny — adjective absurd

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Swedish

Adjective

absurd

1. absurd

Declension

Declension of absurd

Inflections of absurd		Absolute	Comparative	Superlative
				Attributive	Predicative
Indefinite singular	Common	absurd	absurdare		absurdast
	Neuter	absurt
Definite singular	Masc.	absurde		absurdaste
	All	absurda		absurdaste
Plural		absurda		absurdaste

Related terms

• absurdism
• absurditet