1
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
the idea that extraterrestrials built the pyramids is preposterous
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silly
showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment
a preposterous suggestion to go swimming in this freezing weather
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3
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the movie thriller had such a preposterous plot that we were on the edge of our seats snickering
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preposterous
One argument is that this is a preposterous proposition at the get-go.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Annese has made due to the tune of a preposterous 378-66 lifetime record that strings from high school to junior college to college and includes three state titles, one JUCO national title and as of last month, four Division II national championships.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
So, who came up with the preposterous idea that Grand and Victoria is blighted?
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
What the Chiefs have been doing has been largely preposterous and unsustainable in the modern NFL, which is entirely designed to prevent dynasties and cultivate parity.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Annese has made due to the tune of a preposterous 378-66 lifetime record that strings from high school to junior college to college and includes three state titles, one JUCO national title and as of last month, four Division II national championships.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
So, who came up with the preposterous idea that Grand and Victoria is blighted?
—Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 20 Dec. 2025
What the Chiefs have been doing has been largely preposterous and unsustainable in the modern NFL, which is entirely designed to prevent dynasties and cultivate parity.
—Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preposterous
Adjective
-
Straight men, in particular, are only talked about, kept in the background, or appearing as authority figures trying to uphold absurd laws and traditions.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Pepsi’s chart is absurd and someone’s going to look stupid when the momentum fades.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t feel silly asking at the ski shop.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Walker offers this diagnosis himself, leeringly dismissing Pearl as a silly mommy, awash with hormones, mildly and minorly hysterical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Because that's f---ing ridiculous.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
By now, Americans have gone numb to the ridiculous statements of the president of the United States.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Having stabilized his ship in orbit around the black hole, Dr Hans Reinhardt (a bizarre, OTT performance from Maximilian Schell) now plans to fly into it, assisted by an unquestioning crew of automatons with a very dark origin story.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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That's bizarre to me, especially those two.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Counting on one of the league’s most expensive talents to play meaningful minutes from here on out at his age with a track record like that is nearly as foolish as Nico trading a perennial MVP candidate at 26.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 4,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
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The lesson isn’t that NBA teams are reckless or foolish.—
Spencer Harrison,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
These clowns don't even have the courage of their pathetic White supremacist convictions.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This kind of Jim Crow–style dehumanization is pathetic and a disgrace to the office.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Getting to play Survivor once is a dream, getting to play twice and on a monumental anniversary season is unreal.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The pressure King felt was unreal.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But maybe Johnson isn’t stupid.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Such as the one where the candidate remarked that some white rural Americans were stupid and racist.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterous. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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