absurdity

noun

ab·sur·di·ty əb-ˈsər-də-tē

-ˈzər-

plural absurdities

Synonyms of absurdity next

: the quality or state of being absurd : absurdness

They laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

: something that is absurd

the absurdities of life

Examples of absurdity in a Sentence

to say men can't cook as well as women is of course an absurdity the absurdity of expecting a 98-year-old woman to adequately supervise four six-year-olds

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Winner: While o1 Pro made a good showing, the sheer wild absurdity of the DeepSeek R1 response won us over. —

Ars Technica, 28 Jan. 2025 The Real Housewives franchise started as a modest examination into the absurdities of the quotidian lives of the upper class — a little bit Desperate Housewives, a little bit Laguna Beach, with a lot of glam in between. —

Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 27 Jan. 2025 Lyrical absurdity also shapes the play’s most precise comic scene. —

Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2025 The exhaust fuming off her pages, reeking of life’s absurdities and pathos, is invigorating. —

Laurence Scott, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for absurdity

Word History

Etymology

Middle English absurditee "dissonance, unjust practice," borrowed from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French absurdité, borrowed from Late Latin absurditāt-, absurditās, from Latin absurdus absurd entry 1 + -itāt-, -itās -ity

First Known Use

circa 1525, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of absurdity was circa 1525

See more words from the same year