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preposterous

/prəˈpɑstərəs/
/prəˈpɒstərəs/
IPA guide

To a vegetarian, the idea of eating a 52-ounce T-bone steak would seem preposterous — absolutely absurd.

When the word preposterous was first used, it meant reversing the normal order of things — putting what was last first, and vice versa. Imagine putting on your underwear over your pants and you'll see that there's a kind of absurdity in something that's backwards, which is why preposterous came to mean "ridiculous." The word is often used as part of an exclamation: a chef who is asked to cook with nothing but jelly beans might exclaim, "That's preposterous!"

Definitions of preposterous
  1. adjective
    incongruous;inviting ridicule
    “a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history”
    foolish
    devoid of good sense or judgment
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