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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On the other hand, prescribing some specific artisanal orange marmalade seems absurd.—
Jason O'Bryan,
Robb Report,
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
-
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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The Big Read The Story Of Climate-Friendly Digital Bank Aspiration Just Got Stranger The fintech industry has seen its fair share of spectacular failures and bizarre plot twists in recent years.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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No matter what your feelings are about Sternberg and his executive team today, these are not foolish people.—
John Romano,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2025
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There's nothing foolish about choosing beauty over practicality if that's what your heart desires.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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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While the end result is backpacking-good (i.e. not on the same level as my favorite Thai restaurant in town), my wife and I can both eat it from the same container while enjoying an unreal sunset in the high alpine, which is plenty fancy for us.—
Joe Jackson,
Outside Online,
7 Feb. 2025
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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
Adjective
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His is a sort of erudite buffoonery that consistently tap-dances between clever, self-aware, and patently stupid.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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Each of them loses track of a CD filled with secrets, and some end up dying in the stupidest possible ways because of their incompetence.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterous. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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