preposterous

adjective

pre·​pos·​ter·​ous pri-ˈpä-st(ə-)rəs How to pronounce preposterous (audio)
: contrary to nature, reason, or common sense : absurd
preposterously adverb
preposterousness noun

Examples of preposterous in a Sentence

The whole idea is preposterous! the idea that extraterrestrials built the pyramids is preposterous
Recent Examples on the Web Historians protested that the Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment was wrong and its tests preposterous. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2024 Donald Trump was in federal court Wednesday as his lawyers laid out his preposterous argument that presidents are immune from federal prosecution for actions taken in office unless impeached and convicted in the Senate. New York Daily News, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2024 The series breaks down the systemic issues that resulted in so much dispossession — namely, a legal system that favored white people, with Osages kept in preposterous guardianships. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2024 Yet prosecutor Smith has spun a preposterous argument that Judge Tanya Chutkan appears to have accepted. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 The English critics, for their part, loved the English story but found the Jewish one preposterous. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2024 The film actually tests this out, with spectacularly preposterous results. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023 Nathan Lane once again plays to the rafters as Ward McAllister, a mercenary high-society influencer with a preposterous mustache and a Foghorn Leghorn drawl. EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 That is, at first glance, a preposterous question regarding an event that has been dominated by men for much of its seven-decade history. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preposterous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin praeposterus, literally, in the wrong order, from prae- + posterus hinder, following — more at posterior

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preposterous was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near preposterous

Cite this Entry

“Preposterous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preposterous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

preposterous

adjective
pre·​pos·​ter·​ous pri-ˈpäs-t(ə-)rəs How to pronounce preposterous (audio)
: making little or no sense : absurd
preposterously adverb
preposterousness noun
Etymology

from Latin praeposterus, literally, "having the rear part in front," from prae- "in front, before" and posterus "coming behind, following"

Word Origin
The familiar expression "putting the cart before the horse" comes very close to the literal sense of the word preposterous. The Romans formed their Latin adjective praeposterus from prae-, meaning "before," and posterus, meaning "following." They at first used it to mean "having that first which ought to be last," like having a cart ahead of the horse that is pulling it. Praeposterus was used to describe something that was out of the normal or logical order or position. From this developed the more general sense of "ridiculous, absurd." These meanings were borrowed into English in the 16th century. Although preposterous is seldom used in its literal sense nowadays, we still use it to describe something that seems so unreasonable as to be ridiculous.

More from Merriam-Webster on preposterous

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