All words

preposterous

Meaning

Contrary to reason or common sense; utterly absurd or ridiculous.

Examples by difficulty

Basic: Simple, everyday vocabulary — the easiest to read.

He suggested we paint the dog bright pink to scare off squirrels. It was a preposterous idea. No one could possibly think that would work. The thought itself was ridiculous, utterly against any common sense.

The thought of trying to teach a rock to yodel seemed preposterous. It made no sense at all. My cat, Bartholomew, just stared at me, blinking slowly, as if to confirm the utter ridiculousness of the idea.

That the new manager insists we paint every single cog in the industrial fermentation vat lime green is preposterous. He claims it improves the yeast's morale. Honestly, it sounds like something a lost parrot would invent.

Barnaby insisted his pet goldfish, Bartholomew, could speak perfect French. He’d chat with Bartholomew every morning, convinced the fish understood his bonjour and offered brilliant, albeit silent, advice. The sheer thought of a goldfish nattering about existentialism was utterly preposterous, but Barnaby wouldn't hear it.

Barry swore his pet goldfish, Bartholomew, was secretly plotting world domination. He claimed Bartholomew communicated by wiggling his fins in coded patterns, demanding more flakes and a tiny crown. The idea that a fish could orchestrate such a plan seemed utterly preposterous, yet Barry meticulously documented every bubble.

Normal: Standard, everyday language.

He suggested we paint the entire house neon orange. The idea was utterly preposterous, especially since we live in a quiet, historic neighborhood. No one would ever agree to that.

Barnaby stared at the instruction manual for the self-folding laundry basket. It insisted I needed to "harmonize its internal algorithms with my bio-rhythms." That seemed utterly preposterous. How could a plastic container possibly sense my pulse? I just wanted my socks put away.

Trying to convince the stray cat that it *should* wear the tiny sombrero was preposterous. It hissed, swatting at the festive hat with utter disdain. The idea was so absurd, so utterly ridiculous, no one could blame the feline for its immediate, violent rejection.

My cat's insistence on wearing a tiny sombrero to bed every night is utterly preposterous. He glares at me as if the tiny hat is the only thing preventing an impending alien invasion. Honestly, the logic behind it is completely absurd.

The idea that squirrels were secretly hoarding my Netflix login information, leading to constant buffering, was utterly preposterous. I mean, the sheer audacity of those bushy-tailed bandits! It’s a ridiculous notion, clearly contrary to common sense, yet it persisted through my frantic password changes.

Advanced: Richer vocabulary that stretches an upper-level reader.

He claimed he could fly by flapping his arms. The idea was utterly preposterous, a ridiculous notion that defied all logic and common sense. We just stared, bewildered by his sheer, absurd conviction.

The idea that a fully grown aardvark could learn to knit intricate sweaters for garden gnomes seemed utterly preposterous. My neighbor, however, insisted his pet was a prodigy, and showed me a lopsided, fuzzy lump he claimed was a scarf.

The idea that we could power the entire city with static electricity generated by rubbing balloons on our heads felt utterly preposterous. Everyone scoffed, their faces etched with disbelief. It was a concept so divorced from reality, so demonstrably absurd, that it bordered on madness.

My uncle's assertion that he could levitate after consuming an entire family-sized pizza was preposterous. He genuinely believed the sheer volume of pepperoni would activate latent psychic abilities, a notion so utterly absurd it elicited uncontrollable giggles, even from him.

Bartholomew insisted his pet badger, Reginald, could communicate with sentient mold. He'd spend hours serenading the fuzzy fungi with a kazoo, convinced Reginald was translating their silent murmurs about the best cheese. The idea was so preposterous, the local mushroom enthusiast association threatened to revoke his membership for sheer absurdity.

Challenging: Rare, high-register vocabulary for serious word lovers.

The scientist scoffed, finding the notion of spontaneous generation utterly preposterous; to suggest life could just appear from inert matter defied all empirical evidence and rational thought, making it a completely absurd proposition.

The astrophysicist scoffed; the notion of interdimensional squirrels hoarding cosmic dust was utterly preposterous. He envisioned them meticulously cataloging nebulae with tiny, acorn-shaped abaci. Such a ludicrous hypothesis, completely devoid of any empirical substantiation, was an affront to rational inquiry and the fundamental tenets of celestial mechanics.

The notion that a sentient fungal network, spanning continents, would communicate through synchronized bioluminescent pulses to orchestrate the global migration of migratory monarch butterflies was utterly preposterous. Such an intricate, clandestine coordination defied all observable biological principles and logical deduction.

The notion that a badger could successfully negotiate a peace treaty between warring factions of garden gnomes was preposterous. While the gnomes, with their incessant bickering over artisanal mushroom cultivation, possessed a certain bellicosity, the badger's only diplomatic skill involved a profound talent for pilfering earthworms. The sheer absurdity of expecting such an outcome was, frankly, hilarious.

The idea of a sentient, polka-dotted aardvark commencing a career as a concert pianist, specializing in fugues by Bach, was utterly preposterous. Its stubby digits, ill-suited for rapid arpeggios, and its nocturnal proclivities made such an endeavor demonstrably contrary to reason, a truly ridiculous proposition for the seasoned impresario.

Difficulty

Advanced — Less frequent words that stretch an upper-level vocabulary.

Appears in

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