absurd

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See also: absürd

English

Etymology

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] Compare surd.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /əbˈsɜːd/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /æbˈsɝd/, /æbˈzɝd/, /əbˈsɝd/, /əbˈzɝd/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "Canada" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /æbˈzɝd/
  • 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; silly. [First attested in the mid 16th century.][3]
    • 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, V-iv
      This proffer is absurd and reasonless.
    • ca. 1710, Alexander Pope
      This phrase absurd to call a villain great
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 17, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      “Perhaps it is because I have been excommunicated. It's absurd, but I feel like the Jackdaw of Rheims.” ¶ She winced and bowed her head. Each time that he spoke flippantly of the Church he caused her pain.
    • 1979, “The Logical Song”, in Roger Hodgson (lyrics), Breakfast in America, performed by Supertramp:
      I know it sounds absurd / But please, tell me who I am
  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

  • In the comparative and superlative degrees, the forms more absurd and most absurd (rather than absurder and absurdest) are generally preferred.
  • 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

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

absurd (plural absurds)

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
  1. (obsolete) An absurdity. [Attested from the early 17th century until the mid 17th century.][3]
  2. (philosophy, often preceded by the) 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 English in the early 20th century and first used in the mid-19th century in Danish by Kierkegaard.][3][4]

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References

  1. ^ Laurence Urdang (editor), The Random House College Dictionary (Random House, 1984 [1975], →ISBN), page 7
  2. ^ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 8
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “absurd”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 10.
  4. ^ "Søren Kierkegaard" in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Further reading

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

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

  1. absurd

Derived terms

Related terms

Noun

absurd m (plural absurds)

  1. absurdity

Further reading

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /absurd/, [ɑbˈsuɐ̯ˀd̥]

Adjective

absurd (neuter absurd, plural and definite singular attributive absurde)

  1. absurd

Adverb

absurd

  1. absurdly

Derived terms

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative absurdst)

  1. absurd

Inflection

Declension of absurd
uninflected absurd
inflected absurde
comparative absurder
positive comparative superlative
predicative/adverbial absurd absurder het absurdst
het absurdste
indefinite m./f. sing. absurde absurdere absurdste
n. sing. absurd absurder absurdste
plural absurde absurdere absurdste
definite absurde absurdere absurdste
partitive absurds absurders —

Related terms

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative am absurdesten)

  1. absurd

Declension

Template:de-decl-adj

Related terms

Further reading

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From German absurd, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd (masculine absurden, neuter absurd, comparative méi absurd, superlative am absurdsten)

  1. absurd

Declension

declension of absurd
number and gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative hien ass absurd si ass absurd et ass absurd si si(nn) absurd
nominative /
accusative 		attributive and/or after determiner absurden absurd absurd absurd
independent without determiner absurdes absurder
dative after any declined word absurden absurder absurden absurden
as first declined word absurdem absurdem

Related terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde)

  1. absurd

Related terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde)

  1. absurd

Related terms

References

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

From Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Noun

absurd m inan (diminutive absurdzik)

  1. nonsense
    Synonym: nonsens
    Jego propozycje to jeden wielki absurd.
    His suggestions are one big load of nonsense.
  2. (logic) absurdity

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

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French absurde, Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd m or n (feminine singular absurdă, masculine plural absurzi, feminine and neuter plural absurde)

  1. absurd

Declension

Declension of absurd
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite absurd absurdă absurzi absurde
definite absurdul absurda absurzii absurdele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite absurd absurde absurzi absurde
definite absurdului absurdei absurzilor absurdelor

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd

  1. absurd

Declension

Inflection of absurd
Indefinite Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular absurd absurdare absurdast
Neuter singular absurt absurdare absurdast
Plural absurda absurdare absurdast
Masculine plural3 absurde absurdare absurdast
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 absurde absurdare absurdaste
All absurda absurdare absurdaste
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
3) Dated or archaic

Related terms

Tatar

Adjective

absurd

  1. absurd, nonsensical
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