Search Result for "absurd": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. a situation in which life seems irrational and meaningless;
- Example: "The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth"--Albert Camus
[syn: absurd, the absurd]


ADJECTIVE (2)

1. inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense;
- Example: "the absurd predicament of seeming to argue that virtue is highly desirable but intensely unpleasant"- Walter Lippman

2. incongruous;inviting ridicule;
- Example: "the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework"
- Example: "that's a cockeyed idea"
- Example: "ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer"
- Example: "a contribution so small as to be laughable"
- Example: "it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion"
- Example: "a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history"
- Example: "her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous"
[syn: absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Absurd \Ab*surd"\ ([a^]b*s[^u]rd"), a. [L. absurdus harsh-sounding; ab + (prob) a derivative fr. a root svar to sound; not connected with surd: cf. F. absurde. See Syringe.] Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; as, an absurd person, an absurd opinion; an absurd dream. [1913 Webster] This proffer is absurd and reasonless. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 'This phrase absurd to call a villain great. --Pope. --p. 9 [1913 Webster] Syn: Foolish; irrational; ridiculous; preposterous; inconsistent; incongruous. Usage: Absurd, Irrational, Foolish, Preposterous. Of these terms, 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. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Absurd \Ab*surd"\ ([a^]b*s[^u]rd"), n. An absurdity. [Obs.] --Pope. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

absurd adj 1: inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense; "the absurd predicament of seeming to argue that virtue is highly desirable but intensely unpleasant"- Walter Lippman 2: incongruous;inviting ridicule; "the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework"; "that's a cockeyed idea"; "ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer"; "a contribution so small as to be laughable"; "it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion"; "a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history"; "her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous" [syn: absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous] n 1: a situation in which life seems irrational and meaningless; "The absurd is the essential concept and the first truth"-- Albert Camus [syn: absurd, the absurd]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

147 Moby Thesaurus words for "absurd": Pickwickian, a bit thick, a bit thin, abnormal, amusing, anomalous, asinine, balmy, barred, beyond belief, bizarre, childish, closed-out, cockamamie, comic, contrary to reason, crazy, curious, daft, disproportionate, doubtable, doubtful, droll, dubious, dubitable, eccentric, empty, excluded, extravagant, fantastic, farcical, fatuitous, fatuous, foolish, freaked out, freaky, funny, futile, grotesque, hard of belief, hard to believe, harebrained, high-flown, hilarious, hollow, hopeless, humorous, idiotic, idle, illogical, imbecile, imbecilic, implausible, impossible, inane, incoherent, incommensurable, incommensurate, incompatible, inconceivable, incongruous, inconsequent, inconsistent, inconsonant, incredible, insane, irrational, irreconcilable, kooky, laughable, logically impossible, loony, ludicrous, mad, meaningless, monstrous, moronic, nonsensical, not deserving belief, not possible, nuts, nutty, odd, oddball, off, off the wall, open to doubt, open to suspicion, out, out of proportion, outlandish, outrageous, outre, oxymoronic, paradoxical, passing belief, passing strange, peculiar, poppycockish, potty, preposterous, priceless, problematic, prohibited, quaint, queer, questionable, quizzical, rich, ridiculous, risible, rubbishy, ruled-out, screaming, self-contradictory, senseless, silly, simple, singular, skimble-skamble, staggering belief, strange, stupid, suspect, suspicious, tall, thick, thin, trashy, twaddling, twaddly, unbelievable, unconvincing, unearthly, ungodly, unimaginable, unreasonable, unsound, unthinkable, unworthy of belief, vain, wacky, weird, whimsical, wild, witty, wondrous strange