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preposterous

preposterous

72 7.3
Very silly and unreasonable so it seems laughable
  • adjective
  • /prɪˈpɑːstərəs/
translation icon : absurdo
  • Such an approach was preposterous, and not even just in retrospect.
  • a preposterous idea
  • a preposterous claim
  • find it preposterous

You can be that preposterous and draw a crowd.

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Examples

  • His suggestion that the moon landing was staged is downright preposterous.

  • That's the most preposterous explanation I've ever heard.

  • You can be that preposterous and draw a crowd.

  • "Professor Grant, where did you get the preposterous idea that I wrote those letters to you?"

    Fiction book (1992)
  • With all due respect, this... this is preposterous.

  • "Even for Virginia Ruth, this was a preposterous claim to make about me."

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Again, this is such an unbelievably preposterous crime.

  • "My fault?" The idea was too preposterous for me to even begin to formulate a response.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I would say it's pretty preposterous to suggest that Libya would now be a peaceful and happy place.

  • This was obviously preposterous and they couldn't have been defending a worse, more morally unjustifiable cause.

Synonyms

ridiculous
vspreposterous
1.6

Very silly or unreasonable in a way that makes people laugh

is stronger in opposing reason rather than mere silliness
unbelievable
vspreposterous
432 4.9

Very surprising and almost impossible to accept as true

is more focused on lacking reason and common sense than on surprise
absurd
vspreposterous
288 4.4

So silly or unreasonable that it makes no sense

is contrary to reason and common sense to the point of laughter
irrational
vspreposterous
192 4.4

Not based on clear reason or thinking

is more extreme, strikingly against common sense and laughable
idiotic
vspreposterous
  • Offensive
115 4.4

Very silly and showing bad judgment

is about being so unreasonable that it seems laughably wrong
ludicrous
vspreposterous
100 6.0

Very silly and unreasonable so it makes people laugh

is more about being against common sense than only causing amusement
nonsensical
vspreposterous
39 5.5

Not making sense or having any meaning

is contrary to reason and common sense rather than only lacking sense
outlandish
vspreposterous
34 7.4

Strange or unusual in a way that surprises people

is about being against reason and common sense rather than only strange
implausible
vspreposterous
26 7.0

Not likely to be true or hard to believe

is more about being contrary to reason and therefore laughable
farfetched
vspreposterous
8 7.5

Not likely to be true or believable

is less about improbability and more about being laughably unreasonable
cockeyed
vspreposterous
  • Informal
4 8.9

A foolish idea or plan that will not work

is more about being against reason to the level of being laughable
cockamamie
vspreposterous
  • Informal
1 9.9

Silly and unlikely to be true

is more specifically contrary to reason and openly laughable

Antonyms

302 2.2

A moderate amount or size that is not extreme

201 2.7

Showing good judgment and making practical choices

How Absurd

absurd
288 4.4
preposterous
72 7.3
ridiculous
1.6
strange
2.3
odd
798 1.0

Surface Forms

preposterous positive
preposterously comparative
preposterousest superlative

Etymology

Preposterous comes from an old Latin idea of putting post- ('after') before pre- ('before'), so something is literally 'back-to-front'. That's why preposterous now means so strange or unreasonable that it seems laughable.