Preposterous — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Preposterous (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. conceived or made without regard for reason or reality

   "the idea that extraterrestrials built the pyramids is preposterous"

   similar: absurd, bizarre, crazy, fanciful, fantastic, foolish, insane, nonsensical, unreal, wild, off the wall (slang)
   related: implausible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unthinkable, extravagant, grotesque, bizarro, curious, eccentric, far-out, funny, kinky, kooky, odd, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, screwy, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, Alice-in-Wonderland, Kafkaesque, nightmarish, dreamlike, surreal
   opposite: realistic, reasonable

2. showing or marked by a lack of good sense or judgment

   "a preposterous suggestion to go swimming in this freezing weather"

   similar: absurd, asinine, balmy, barmy (chiefly British), batty, brainless, bubbleheaded, cockeyed, crackbrained, crackpot, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dippy, dotty, fatuous, featherheaded, fool, foolish, fruity (slang), gaga, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, inept, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, loony tunes, lunatic (informal), lunkheaded, mad, meshuga, nonsensical, nutty, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, simpleminded, stupid, tomfool, unwise, wacko, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany, out to lunch
   related: airheaded, birdbrained, boobish, brain-dead, chowderheaded, chuckleheaded, clueless, dense, dim, dim-witted, doltish, dopey, dorky (slang), dull, dumb, dunderheaded, empty-headed, feebleminded, gormless (chiefly British), idiotic, imbecile, knuckleheaded, lamebrain, mindless, moronic, oafish, obtuse, opaque, pinheaded, simple, slow, slow-witted, soft, softheaded, thoughtless, thick, thickheaded, unintelligent, vacuous, fallacious, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, surd, unreasonable, unreasoning, unsound, weak, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, notional, buffoonish, clownish, ill-advised, unconsidered, unreasoned
   opposite: judicious, prudent, sagacious, sage, sane, sapient, sensible, sound, wise
   near: brainy, bright, clever, intelligent, smart, logical, rational, reasonable, valid, well-advised

3. 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"

   similar: absurd, cockamamy, comical, derisive, derisory, farcical, laughable, ludicrous, pathetic, ridiculous, risible, silly, for the birds
   related: asinine, brainless, dumb, fatuous, foolish, half-baked, half-witted, harebrained, idiotic, imbecile, inane, jerky, moronic, nonsensical, simpleminded, stupid, unwise, weak-minded, witless, balmy, cockeyed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dotty, insane, kooky, loony, mad, nutty, screwball, senseless, wacky, fantastic, far-fetched, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unreal, unrealistic, unreasonable, illogical, irrational
   near: earnest, serious, solemn, believable, conceivable, credible, logical, rational, realistic, reasonable, sensible