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absurd

adj
/əbˈsɜːd/UK/æbˈsɚd/CA

Etymology

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

  1. derived from absurdus
  2. borrowed from absurde

Definitions

  1. Contrary to reason or propriety

    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.

    • This proffer is absurd and reasonless.
    • 'Tis phrase absurd to call a villain great
    • “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.

  2. Inharmonious

    Inharmonious; dissonant.

  3. Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives

    Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.

    • Adults have condemned them to live in what must seem like an absurd universe.
  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. Dealing with absurdism.

    2. An absurdity.

    3. The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any

      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.

The neighborhood

Derived

absurdification, absurdify, Absurdistan, absurdity, absurdly, absurdness, nonabsurd, reduction to the absurd, unabsurd, Theatre of the Absurd

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at absurd. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01absurd02silly03foolishness04event05occurrence06predicates07predicate08referred09refer10rational

A definitional loop anchored at absurd. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

10 hops · closes at absurd

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA