absurd
/əbˈsɚd/adjective, noun
absurd is spelled A-B-S-U-R-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, absurd means “Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in absurd?
| Letters | 6: A-B-S-U-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.9 times per million words; the 7,672nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is absurd?
Absurd appears 8.9 times per million words in written English, the 7,672nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce absurd?
- UK /əbˈsɜːd/
- UK /əbˈzɜːd/
- US /əbˈsɚd/
Absurd has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-absurd.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with absurd?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as absurd from its last stressed vowel (/əɹd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of absurd
- absurder comparative
- more absurd comparative
- absurdest superlative
- most absurd superlative
- absurds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does absurd mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; silly.
- 2
obsoleteInharmonious; dissonant.
- 3
Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.
- 4
Dealing with absurdism.
noun
- 1
obsoleteAn absurdity.
- 2
The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any; the state or condition in which man exists in an irrational universe and his life has no meaning outside of his existence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Absurd in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense contrary to reason or propriety:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does absurd come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).