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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Will County prosecutor Christine Vukmir, in rebuttal, called the defense’s arguments preposterous.
—
Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
Decades before the memes and punchlines, the Broward native spawned a fictional franchise populated by preposterous oddballs, bottom-feeders and other shadowy denizens of the Sunshine State.
—Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
To envy a chair (or to covet one to the extent Camille and Olivier come to do) is preposterous.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025
But such an idea, and and an evangelical endorsement of it, was preposterous to rising Christian Zionist voices like Hagee and Huckabee.
—Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025
Decades before the memes and punchlines, the Broward native spawned a fictional franchise populated by preposterous oddballs, bottom-feeders and other shadowy denizens of the Sunshine State.
—Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
To envy a chair (or to covet one to the extent Camille and Olivier come to do) is preposterous.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 8 Feb. 2025
But such an idea, and and an evangelical endorsement of it, was preposterous to rising Christian Zionist voices like Hagee and Huckabee.
—Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preposterous
Adjective
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Undermining tax collections and the IRS goes hand in glove with Trump’s absurd belief that the U.S. federal government can or should try to fund itself primarily via tariffs.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2025
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The more absurd or humorous examples, like the animation of Irving that plays at his funeral, can also be disconcerting.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Finally, its focus on physics means that things get silly pretty quickly, which makes for very shareable moments and clips.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
17 Mar. 2025
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Dozen Bakery off Nolensville Pike is celebrating this silliest of holidays with special pies and quiche.—
Adam Tamburin,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Brendan Gallagher scored a goal in that game on the power play, taking a ridiculous feed from Andrei Markov in the slot and converting, blowing the roof off the building.—
Arpon Basu,
The Athletic,
16 Mar. 2025
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Bam Adebayo only taking seven shots each in the last two games is ridiculous.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The esoteric will never sit completely comfortably in the mainstream, because that’s the point of it: to be unusual, bizarre, absurd.—
Eliza Goodpasture,
ARTnews.com,
18 Mar. 2025
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So many of the characters on this show speak with such bizarre, precise dialogue that can only make sense in the Severance world.—
Josh Wigler,
The Hollywood Reporter,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Peter, though revered as an apostle worthy of veneration, is also portrayed in the Gospels as prone to mistakes, often foolish, and sometimes outright contradictory to God’s will.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
28 Feb. 2025
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The notion that women should be flawless multitaskers, managing a perfect home and career while never showing vulnerability or weakness is not only unrealistic, but also foolish.—
Nicole Lipkin,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Michael Gandolfini pops up as a slimy Fisk mayoral staffer who wouldn’t look out of place in this magazine’s recent cover featuring the new young right, and his playing both pathetic and vaguely sympathetic is very fun to watch.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
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How to decide which of these pathetic characters will get his fading masculinity restored?—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Comfortable Hiking Boots Columbia Women's Newton Ridge Hiking Boots The hiking opportunities in Puerto Rico are unreal, with plenty of waterfalls, rugged coastline, and lush rainforest trails to choose from.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Mar. 2025
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It’s got an immersive screen that makes games look unreal, and the OLED panel blows everything else out of the water with its colors and contrast.—
Shubham Yewale,
PCMAG,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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When Luca pulls a gun on him, ordering him to drive, Spencer quickly disarms him and then slaps him for the stupid move.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
9 Mar. 2025
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Indexing gives you a better chance to ‘be less stupid.’ — Investment advisor Barry Ritholtz Those dismal statistics come to us via the latest annual SPIVA scorecard (the acronym stands for Standard and Poor’s Index vs. Active).—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterous. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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