ABSURD


Meaning of ABSURD in English

ab ‧ surd /əbˈsɜːd, -ˈzɜːd $ -ɜːrd/ BrE AmE adjective

[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: French ; Origin: absurde , from Latin absurdus , from ab- 'away' + surdus 'deaf, stupid' ]

1 . completely stupid or unreasonable SYN ridiculous

quite/slightly/completely etc absurd

It seems quite absurd to expect anyone to drive for 3 hours just for a 20-minute meeting.

It seems an absurd idea.

2 . the absurd something that is completely stupid and unreasonable:

Some of the stories he tells verge on the absurd.

—absurdity noun [uncountable and countable] :

Duncan laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

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THESAURUS

■ very stupid

▪ crazy not at all sensible or reasonable – used when you are very surprised by someone’s behaviour or what they have said:

Ian’s got some crazy plan to drive across Africa.

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She looked at me as if I was crazy!

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You’re crazy to think of hitch-hiking on your own.

▪ ridiculous extremely stupid:

You look ridiculous in that hat.

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Some people spend a ridiculous amount of money on cars.

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It’s absolutely ridiculous to suggest that he would do something like that.

▪ absurd/ludicrous extremely stupid – used especially when an idea or situation seems strange or illogical:

How can a return ticket cost less than a single? It’s totally absurd!

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It was a ludicrous idea.

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Some of the objections to the theory are simply absurd.

▪ laughable so stupid that you cannot believe someone is telling the truth or being serious:

The accusations were almost laughable.

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a laughable suggestion

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It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.