Meanings
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1
adj
completely unreasonable or silly; ridiculous
It is absurd to expect us to finish all this work in one hour.
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2
noun
the idea that human life has no real meaning or order
Camus wrote about the absurd at the heart of human existence.
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Synonyms
Etymology
First attested in 1557. From Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”). Compare surd.
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