Vocabulary in context
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Absurdity
The quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
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Imagine This
Imagine a serious city council meeting where a proposal to build a giant trampoline park on the moon is debated; the argument spirals into absurdity as everyone points to obviously impossible details.
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Sounds Like
əb-SUR-duh-tee
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Looks Like
absurd + ity
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Remember This
Absurdity often expresses strong disbelief at illogical ideas. It comes from the word absurd and is commonly used with phrases like 'the sheer absurdity' or 'an absurdity of a proposal.'
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Other Forms
absurdadjective
absurditynoun
absurdlyadverb
absurdistnoun
absurdistadjective
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Connect With
ridiculousness, nonsense, preposterousness, irrationality, illogic
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Note
Remember: absurdity is a noun. The related adjective is absurd; the adverb is absurdly. Use in formal writing to critique ideas, not people. Avoid confusing with similar-sounding words like 'absent' or 'absorb.'
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The claim that the Earth is flat is an obvious absurdity in light of centuries of scientific evidence.
- The play relies on absurdity to expose the chaos of modern life.
Synonyms
ridiculousnessnonsensepreposterousnessfoolishnessirrationality
Antonyms
rationalityreasonableness
Etymology
From Latin absurdus meaning 'out of tune, incongruous', from ab- 'away' + surdus 'deaf' (hence 'out of harmony' or 'not in keeping with reason').
Mnemonic
Absurdity = absurd + ity. Picture a bold sign reading ABSURD on a door, with the letters TY standing next to it to form the word Absurdity; it reminds you that it is the state of being absurd.
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Ethereal
adjectiveExtremely delicate, light, or heavenly; intangible and otherworldly in nature.
Exacerbate
verbTo make something worse; to aggravate or intensify a problem or situation.
Indulgent
adjectiveTending to be lenient or permissive; inclined to indulge others' desires or interests, often pampering them.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
Adversary
nounAn opponent; a foe; an enemy.
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