# absurd

/əbˈsɝd/ (US) · /ɐbsˈɜːd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/absurd
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. ridiculous or silly

adjective · CEFR B2

completely silly or unreasonable in a way that is often funny.

For teachers: utterly illogical, unreasonable, or incongruous; often used to describe situations or claims that provoke ridicule.

- It is absurd to suggest that a cat could drive a car.
- The notion that the company could double its profits while cutting its entire marketing budget was dismissed as patently absurd by the board.

### 2. meaningless

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic

having no clear meaning or purpose in life.

For teachers: pertaining to the belief that the universe is chaotic and lacks an inherent meaning or rational order.

- In the play, the characters wait for a man who never arrives, showing how absurd life can feel.
- Existentialist writers often explored the absurd nature of human effort in a world that offers no divine guidance or objective morality.

### 3. the lack of meaning

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

the idea that humans want to find meaning in a world that has none.

For teachers: the philosophical concept of the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and the inability to find any in a purposeless universe.

- The philosopher wrote about the struggle of facing the absurd every day.
- Camus argued that individuals must acknowledge the absurd rather than seeking false certainties in religion or science.

Usage: Usually preceded by the definite article 'the'.

## Examples

- The idea that cats can fly is totally absurd.
- It is absurd to expect a single person to finish this entire project in one afternoon.
- The play explores the human condition through an absurd series of events that highlight the lack of inherent meaning in the universe.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.