Preposterous

//pɹɪˈpɒstəɹəs// adj

adj ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Absurd, or contrary to common sense.

    "[...] I did incounter that obſeene and moſt prepoſterous euent that draweth frõ my ſnowhite pen the ebon coloured Incke, which here thou vieweſt, beholdeſt, ſuruayeſt, or ſeeſt. [...] There did I ſee that low ſpirited Swaine, [...] hight Coſtard, (Clow[ne]. O mee) ſorted and conſorted contrary to thy eſtabliſhed proclaymed Edict and continent Cannon; Which with, o with, but with this I paſſion to ſay wherewith: / Clo[wne]. With a Wench."

Adjective
  1. 1
    so unreasonable as to invite derision wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
absurdfoolishirrationalnonsensicala bit thicka bit thin

Example

More examples

"His story is too preposterous to be a lie."

Etymology

From Latin praeposterus (“with the hinder part before, reversed, inverted, perverted”), from prae (“before”) + posterus (“coming after”).

Related phrases

common sensetopsy turvyupside down

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.