Meaning & use
preposterous
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
So unreasonable or foolish that it is hard to take seriously.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be or sound: a preposterous idea, the claim is preposterous.
Patterns
- it is preposterous that
- sound preposterous
It is preposterous to expect a toddler to sit still for three hours.
The excuse sounded so preposterous that nobody believed it.
He made a preposterous claim about owning the moon.
Word forms
| comparative | more preposterous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most preposterous |
Common combinations
- a preposterous idea
- Running a marathon without training is a preposterous idea.
- preposterous claim
- The company made a preposterous claim about its product.
- absolutely preposterous
- The price is absolutely preposterous.
- sound preposterous
- It may sound preposterous, but it works.
- downright preposterous
- His behavior was downright preposterous.
Synonyms and how they differ
- absurd
- Absurd is a more common word meaning silly or illogical, while preposterous is slightly stronger and more formal.
- ridiculous
- Ridiculous often invites laughter, while preposterous carries more disbelief.
- outrageous
- Outrageous suggests shock or anger, while preposterous suggests it is simply unbelievable.
- ludicrous
- Ludicrous stresses how laughable something is.
Opposites
Word family
- preposterously adverb
- in an absurd way
- preposterousness noun
- the quality of being absurd
Commonly confused: preposterous or prosperous?
preposterous vs prosperous
Prosperous means wealthy and successful, and it sounds a little like preposterous but means something very different.
Practice
The idea that a cat could run the company is utterly ___.
Choose one answer.
Preposterous means absurd. Prosperous means successful, and punctual and precious have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preposterous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.