Standard Lemma guide

preposterous

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /pɹɪˈpɒstəɹəs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /pɹɪˈpɒstɹəs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /pɹə-/
  • General-American: /pɹəˈpɑstəɹəs/
  • General-American: /pɹəˈpɑstɹəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R IH0 P AA1 S T ER0 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P R IH0 P AA1 S T R AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Absurd, or contrary to common sense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

incongruous;inviting ridicule

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework
  • that's a cockeyed idea
  • ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer
  • a contribution so small as to be laughable
  • it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion
  • a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history
  • her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, ridiculous

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin praeposterus (“with the hinder part before, reversed, inverted, perverted”), from prae (“before”) + posterus (“coming after”).

Across languages

Translations

62 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անհեթեթ (anhetʻetʻ) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Armenian: աբսուրդ (absurd) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Bulgarian: абсурден (absurden) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Bulgarian: нелеп (nelep) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Chinese Mandarin: 荒謬的 /荒谬的 (huāngmiùde) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Czech: absurdní — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Czech: nesmyslný — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Czech: směšný — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Danish: meningsløs — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Danish: absurd — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Dutch: grotesk — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Dutch: van de pot gerukt — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Dutch: potsierlijk — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Finnish: järjetön — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Finnish: mieletön — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Finnish: naurettava — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Finnish: posketon — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • French: aberrant — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • French: absurde — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • French: insensé — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • French: ridicule — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Georgian: უაზრო (uazro) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Georgian: აბსურდული (absurduli) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • German: grotesk — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • German: unmöglich — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • German: unerträglich — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • German: unsagbar — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • German: unsäglich — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Hungarian: esztelen — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Hungarian: oktalan — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Hungarian: nevetséges — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Hungarian: abszurd — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Hungarian: képtelen — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Icelandic: fáránlegur — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Italian: irragionevole — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Italian: insensato — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Italian: assurdo — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Korean: 어처구니없다 (eocheogunieopda) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Malagasy: tsy mampino — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Māori: haraki — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Norwegian Bokmål: meningsløs — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bakvendt — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Polish: niedorzeczny — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Portuguese: absurdo — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Portuguese: insensato — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Russian: неле́пый (nelépyj) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Russian: абсу́рдный (absúrdnyj) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Slovak: nezmyselný — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Slovak: nemysliteľný — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Slovak: absurdný — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Spanish: insensato — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Spanish: prepóstero — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Spanish: descabellado — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Swedish: grotesk — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Swedish: bakvänd — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Swedish: befängd — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Ukrainian: безглу́здий (bezhlúzdyj) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Ukrainian: абсу́рдний (absúrdnyj) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Ukrainian: нісені́тний (nisenítnyj) — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Vietnamese: vô lý — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Welsh: afresymol — absurd, or contrary to common sense
  • Yiddish: אַבסורד (absurd) — absurd, or contrary to common sense