preposterous

adjective

pri-ˈpä-st(ə-)rəs How to pronounce preposterous (audio)
Definition of preposterousnext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of preposterous As the story became an international sensation, theories toggled between the preposterous and the merely unlikely. — Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026 This sounds preposterous today, but the Dodgers had not won more games since 1988, the Kirk Gibson year. — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 Fazio’s announcement undermined one more preposterous claim by the shrinking figure that is Diamantis. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026 During his first tenure, Verrett represented the very type of behavior Magnus had spent the past few years weeding out, including deranged posts, unprofessional direct messages to reporters, and preposterous race talk. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for preposterous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preposterous
  1. absurd
  2. silly
  3. ridiculous
  4. bizarre
  5. foolish
  6. pathetic
  7. unreal
  8. stupid
Adjective
  • As insufferable and absurd as that was, Murphy continued in the middle of the 2026 season, acting like his team's biggest division rival had also not heard of his players who were currently in first place.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But its ludicrous potential price tag isn’t the only absurd thing.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • The feds gave the state a silly 48-hour deadline to agree to change constitutional law, dump common sense and sequester these 20,000 ballots, if they were even returned, to double-check they were cast by valid voters.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Performed by legends Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, the silly song is a tongue-twister for kiddos, and the titular word, which means ‘extraordinarily good, wonderful’ even made its way into some real deal dictionaries.
    — Stephanie Ganz Published, Parents, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • Halsey looks ridiculous in a green jacket with a red scarf for a sash.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Everyone thinks their kids’ slang is ridiculous and their parents’ politics naive.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of ridiculous
Adjective
  • The cookie shops have a rotating menu of cookies with elaborate toppings, sometimes offering bizarre flavors such as everything bagel.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Skerritt co-starred opposite Kathy Baker, playing his doctor wife in the community of Rome, Wisconsin, a place with bizarre happenings, like having a robber leaving a trail of frogs or the pope becoming the primary witness to a murder.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bizarre
Adjective
  • The descent into foolish and self-destructive groupthink provides the drama.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But Ohtani also struck out three times Thursday — made to look foolish in a much-too-familiar way.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of foolish
Adjective
  • There’s nothing more important than defeating his pathetic opponent, Mike Collins.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Haloed in distorted guitar and jagged synths, Wolf comes off as a champion of her own avoidance, her heroism charmingly pathetic.
    — Enzo Escober, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of pathetic
Adjective
  • As on television, Seyfried nails Holmes’s wide eyes, unsteady mannerisms, deep voice, and mysterious vocal cadence that makes the character both unreal and oddly human.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
  • If there were any more life to the filmmaking, this tension could least be interesting, but the results are both perky and inert, unreal but entirely unmoored in time and space.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of unreal
Adjective
  • But also, the audience is not used to people delivering blunt questions — no matter how stupid the answer.
    — Jade Tran, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Pierce and Kember were born in the same place on the same day, a lore-enhancing coincidence too stupid to make up.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of stupid

Browse Nearby Words

prepossessions
preposterous
preposterousness
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Cite this Entry

“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preposterous. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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