preposterous
adjective
pre·pos·ter·ous
pri-ˈpä-st(ə-)rəs 
: contrary to nature, reason, or common sense : absurd
preposterously
adverb
preposterousness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of preposterous in a Sentence
The whole idea is preposterous!
the idea that extraterrestrials built the pyramids is preposterous
Recent Examples on the Web
Plot Armor Carol’s trip to France is equally preposterous.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Scarcity led to preposterous prices: tomatoes cost ninety-six dollars a pound.
—Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
There are some truly wonderful laugh-out-loud moments to be had throughout, though the fact that, much like the German filmmaker’s previous movie, this preposterous bit of Popesploitation is somehow being positioned as Oscar material may be the funniest part of it all.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
If the average rent in Manhattan exceeds $4,000, renters could be paying over $7,000 just for viewing a property—this, to me, feels utterly preposterous.
—Rodolfo Delgado, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for preposterous 
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Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
Scarcity led to preposterous prices: tomatoes cost ninety-six dollars a pound.
—Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
There are some truly wonderful laugh-out-loud moments to be had throughout, though the fact that, much like the German filmmaker’s previous movie, this preposterous bit of Popesploitation is somehow being positioned as Oscar material may be the funniest part of it all.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
If the average rent in Manhattan exceeds $4,000, renters could be paying over $7,000 just for viewing a property—this, to me, feels utterly preposterous.
—Rodolfo Delgado, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for preposterous
Dictionary Entries Near preposterous
Cite this Entry
“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preposterous. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
preposterous
adjective
pre·pos·ter·ous
pri-ˈpäs-t(ə-)rəs
: making little or no sense : absurd
preposterously
adverb
preposterousness
noun
Etymology
from Latin praeposterus, literally, "having the rear part in front," from prae- "in front, before" and posterus "coming behind, following"
Word Origin
The familiar expression "putting the cart before the horse" comes very close to the literal sense of the word preposterous. The Romans formed their Latin adjective praeposterus from prae-, meaning "before," and posterus, meaning "following." They at first used it to mean "having that first which ought to be last," like having a cart ahead of the horse that is pulling it. Praeposterus was used to describe something that was out of the normal or logical order or position. From this developed the more general sense of "ridiculous, absurd." These meanings were borrowed into English in the 16th century. Although preposterous is seldom used in its literal sense nowadays, we still use it to describe something that seems so unreasonable as to be ridiculous.
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