preposterous

[ pri-pos-ter-uhs, -truhs ]

adjective

1. completely contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; utterly foolish; absurd; senseless:

   a preposterous tale.

   Synonyms: ridiculous, excessive, unreasonable

preposterous

/ prɪˈpɒstərəs /

adjective

1. contrary to nature, reason, or sense; absurd; ridiculous

Derived Forms

• preˈposterously, adverb
• preˈposterousness, noun

Other Words From

• pre·poster·ous·ly adverb
• pre·poster·ous·ness noun
• unpre·poster·ous adjective
• unpre·poster·ous·ly adverb
• unpre·poster·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of preposterous¹

First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin praeposterus “inverted, reversed, perverted, perverse,” literally, “with the rear part first”; pre-, posterior, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of preposterous¹

C16: from Latin praeposterus reversed, from prae in front, before + posterus following

Synonym Study

See absurd.

Example Sentences

Paul's insistence he could beat Mexican superstar Alvarez is a claim which seems even more preposterous after going the distance with a man who was in his prime more than three decades ago.

From BBC

Morris, who is Black, called claims of racism preposterous and said it was a campaign of guilt by association.

From Salon

She said Hall’s account was “preposterous and untrue” but she accepted he continued to believe it was true.

From BBC

Harris’ supporters say such claims are preposterous — that no prosecutor would decline viable murder cases to improve conviction rates, and that Harris’ line prosecutors would have revolted if she’d tried.

From Los Angeles Times

India has rejected the allegations as "preposterous", accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.

From BBC

Related Words

• absurd
• crazy
• excessive
• fantastic
• foolish
• impossible
• incredible
• insane
• irrational
• laughable
• ludicrous
• nonsensical
• outrageous
• senseless
• shocking
• silly
• stupid
• unbelievable
• unreasonable
• unthinkable