Nearby Words

preposterous

[pri-pos-ter-uhs, -truhs] Example Sentences Origin

pre·pos·ter·ous

[pri-pos-ter-uhs, -truhs]
adjective
completely contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd; senseless; utterly foolish: a preposterous tale.

Origin:
1535–45; < Latin praeposterus with the hinder part foremost. See pre-, posterior, -ous

pre·pos·ter·ous·ly, adverb
pre·pos·ter·ous·ness, noun
un·pre·pos·ter·ous, adjective
un·pre·pos·ter·ous·ly, adverb
un·pre·pos·ter·ous·ness, noun


unreasonable, excessive, ridiculous. See absurd.

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Preposterous is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Example Sentences
  • If you buy that premise, then maybe the rest of the story won't seem so preposterous.
  • Next, the book had a preposterous built-in gag appeal.
  • Perhaps it's not as preposterous as it sounds.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
preposterous (prɪˈpɒstərəs)
 
adj
contrary to nature, reason, or sense; absurd; ridiculous
 
[C16: from Latin praeposterus reversed, from prae in front, before + posterus following]
 
pre'posterously
 
adv
 
pre'posterousness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

preposterous
c.1540, from L. præposterus "absurd, contrary to nature," lit. "before-behind" (cf. topsy-turvy, cart before the horse), from præ "before" + posterus "subsequent."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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