absurdity
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of being completely silly, unreasonable, or impossible to believe.
the quality or state of being ridiculous or wildly unreasonable. Uncountable in this abstract sense.
Simple“He laughed at the absurdity of the situation when he realized he was wearing two different shoes.”
In context“The sheer absurdity of the proposal was evident to everyone in the room, yet no one felt comfortable pointing out its logical flaws.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
something that is said or done that is totally illogical or makes no sense.
a specific act, statement, or situation that is inconsistent with reason or common sense. Countable in this usage.
Simple“The new law was full of absurdities that made it impossible for small businesses to follow.”
In context“The critic spent most of the review highlighting the various absurdities in the plot that rendered the film's climax unbelievable.”
Synonyms
“He exists in a very small world, but it’s all filtered through a lot of absurdity and surrealism.”
“Overall, most of the jokes address everyday issues and the absurdities of life.”
First attested around 1472. From Middle English absurdite, then from either Middle French absurdité, or from Late Latin absurditas (“dissonance, incongruity”), from Latin absurdus + -itas (“quality, state, degree”). Equivalent to absurd + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.