absurd

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English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

  • First attested in 1557.
  • From Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”),[1] from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”).[2]
  • See surd.

Pronunciation [edit]

Adjective [edit]

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; silly. [First attested in the mid 16th century.][3]
    • (Can we date this quote?) This proffer is absurd and reasonless. - Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, V-iv
    • (Can we date this quote?) This phrase absurd to call a villain great. - Alexander Pope
  2. (obsolete) Inharmonious; dissonant. [Attested only in the early 17th century.][3]
  3. Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Adults have condemned them to live in what must seem like an absurd universe. - Joseph Featherstone
  4. Dealing with absurdism.

Usage notes [edit]

  • More and most absurd are the preferred or more common form of the comparable, as opposed to absurder and absurdest.
  • 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 [edit]

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

contrary to reason or propriety

Noun [edit]

absurd (plural absurds)

Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia

  1. (obsolete) An absurdity. [Attested from the early 17th century until the mid 17th century.][3]
  2. (philosophy) The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any; the state or condition in which man exists in an irrational universe and his life has no meaning outside of his existence. [First attested in the early 20th century.][3]

Usage notes [edit]

  • (philosophy): Absurd is sometimes preceded by the word the.

Derived terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

obsolete: an absurdity
that which is absurd
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

References [edit]

  1. ^ 1984 [1975], Urdang, Laurence editor, The Random House College Dictionary, New York, NY: Random House, Inc., ISBN 0-394-43600-8, page 7:
  2. ^ 1976 [1909], Gove, Philip Babcock editor, Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam Co., ISBN 0-87779-101-5, page 8:
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 2003 [1933], Brown, Lesley editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition 5th, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7, page 10:

Catalan [edit]

Adjective [edit]

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

  1. absurd

Derived terms [edit]

Noun [edit]

absurd m (plural absurds)

  1. absurdity

Danish [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”).

Pronunciation [edit]

  • IPA: /absurd/, [ɑbˈsuɐ̯ˀd̥]

Adjective [edit]

absurd (neuter absurd, definite and plural absurde)

  1. absurd
  2. (adverbial) absurdly

Derived terms [edit]

German [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Adjective [edit]

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative am absurdesten)

  1. absurd

Declension [edit]

positive forms of absurd
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist absurd sie ist absurd es ist absurd sie sind absurd
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative absurder absurde absurdes absurde
genitive absurden absurder absurden absurder
dative absurdem absurder absurdem absurden
accusative absurden absurde absurdes absurde
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der absurde die absurde das absurde die absurden
genitive des absurden der absurden des absurden der absurden
dative dem absurden der absurden dem absurden den absurden
accusative den absurden die absurde das absurde die absurden
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein absurder eine absurde ein absurdes (keine) absurden
genitive eines absurden einer absurden eines absurden (keiner) absurden
dative einem absurden einer absurden einem absurden (keinen) absurden
accusative einen absurden eine absurde ein absurdes (keine) absurden
comparative forms of absurd
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist absurder sie ist absurder es ist absurder sie sind absurder
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative absurderer absurdere absurderes absurdere
genitive absurderen absurderer absurderen absurderer
dative absurderem absurderer absurderem absurderen
accusative absurderen absurdere absurderes absurdere
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der absurdere die absurdere das absurdere die absurderen
genitive des absurderen der absurderen des absurderen der absurderen
dative dem absurderen der absurderen dem absurderen den absurderen
accusative den absurderen die absurdere das absurdere die absurderen
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein absurderer eine absurdere ein absurderes (keine) absurderen
genitive eines absurderen einer absurderen eines absurderen (keiner) absurderen
dative einem absurderen einer absurderen einem absurderen (keinen) absurderen
accusative einen absurderen eine absurdere ein absurderes (keine) absurderen
superlative forms of absurd
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative er ist am absurdesten sie ist am absurdesten es ist am absurdesten sie sind am absurdesten
strong declension
(without article)		 nominative absurdester absurdeste absurdestes absurdeste
genitive absurdesten absurdester absurdesten absurdester
dative absurdestem absurdester absurdestem absurdesten
accusative absurdesten absurdeste absurdestes absurdeste
weak declension
(with definite article)		 nominative der absurdeste die absurdeste das absurdeste die absurdesten
genitive des absurdesten der absurdesten des absurdesten der absurdesten
dative dem absurdesten der absurdesten dem absurdesten den absurdesten
accusative den absurdesten die absurdeste das absurdeste die absurdesten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article)		 nominative ein absurdester eine absurdeste ein absurdestes (keine) absurdesten
genitive eines absurdesten einer absurdesten eines absurdesten (keiner) absurdesten
dative einem absurdesten einer absurdesten einem absurdesten (keinen) absurdesten
accusative einen absurdesten eine absurdeste ein absurdestes (keine) absurdesten

Luxembourgish [edit]

Adjective [edit]

absurd

  1. absurd

Declension [edit]

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

Related terms [edit]

Polish [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

absurd m

  1. nonsense
    Jego propozycje to jeden wielki absurd.
    His suggestions are one big nonsense.

Declension [edit]

    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 [edit]

Swedish [edit]

Adjective [edit]

absurd

  1. absurd

Declension [edit]

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 [edit]

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