different between weird vs absurd

English

Alternative forms

• weïrd, wierd (obsolete)
• weyard, weyward (obsolete, Shakespeare)

Etymology

From Middle English werde, wierde, wirde, wyrede, wurde, from Old English wyrd (“fate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wurdi, from Proto-Germanic *wurdiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with Icelandic urður (“fate”). Related to Old English weorþan (“to become”). Doublet of wyrd. More at worth.

Weird was extinct by the 16th century in English. It survived in Scots, whence Shakespeare borrowed it in naming the Weird Sisters, reintroducing it to English. The senses "abnormal", "strange" etc. arose via reinterpretation of Weird Sisters and date from after this reintroduction.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?w??d/, /?wi??d/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?wi?d/, /?w??d/
• Rhymes: -??(r)d

Adjective

weird (comparative weirder, superlative weirdest)

1. Having an unusually strange character or behaviour.

2. Deviating from the normal; bizarre.

3. (archaic) Of or pertaining to the Fates.

   (Can we find and add a quotation to this entry?)

4. (archaic) Connected with fate or destiny; able to influence fate.
5. (archaic) Of or pertaining to witches or witchcraft; supernatural; unearthly; suggestive of witches, witchcraft, or unearthliness; wild; uncanny.

   • Those sweet, low tones, that seemed like a weird incantation.

   • 1912, Victor Whitechurch, Thrilling Stories of the Railway

     Naphtha lamps shed a weird light over a busy scene, for the work was being continued night and day. A score or so of sturdy navvies were shovelling and picking along the track.

6. (archaic) Having supernatural or preternatural power.

Synonyms

• (having supernatural or preternatural power): eerie, spooky, uncanny
• (unusually strange in character or behaviour): odd, oddball, peculiar, strange, whacko; see also Thesaurus:insane
• (deviating from the normal): bizarre, fremd, odd, out of the ordinary, strange; see also Thesaurus:strange
• (of or pertaining to the Fates): fateful

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

weird (plural weirds)

1. (archaic) Fate; destiny; luck.
2. A prediction.
3. (obsolete, Scotland) A spell or charm.
   • 1813, Walter Scott, The Bridal of Triermain

     Thou shalt bear thy penance lone
     In the Valley of Saint John,
     And this weird shall overtake thee

4. That which comes to pass; a fact.
5. (archaic, in the plural) The Fates (personified).

Synonyms

• (fate; destiny): kismet, lot, orlay, wyrd
• (luck): fortune, luck; see also Thesaurus:luck
• (prediction): foretale, foretelling, prognostication; see also Thesaurus:prediction
• (spell or charm): enchantment, incantation, cantrip
• (fact):
• (The Fates): The Norns

Derived terms

• dree one’s weird
• weirdless

Verb

weird (third-person singular simple present weirds, present participle weirding, simple past and past participle weirded)

1. (transitive) To destine; doom; change by witchcraft or sorcery.
2. (transitive) To warn solemnly; adjure.

Adverb

weird (not comparable)

1. (nonstandard) In a strange manner. [from 1970s]

Usage notes

As an adverb, weird is only used to modify verbs, and is always positioned after the verb it modifies. Unlike weirdly it cannot modify an adjective (as in "She was weirdly generous.") or an entire sentence (as in "Weirdly, no-one spoke up.").

Synonyms

• funny (adverb), strangely, weirdly

Anagrams

• Dwire, wider, wierd, wired, wride, wried

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English weird.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wi?d/

Adjective

weird (plural weirds)

1. (Quebec, Louisiana, informal) weird, bizarre.

Scots

Alternative forms

• wierd

Etymology

From Old English wyrd (“fate, destiny”), from Proto-Germanic *wurdiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wird/, [wi?rd]

Noun

weird (plural weirds)

1. fate, fortune, destiny, one's own particular fate or appointed lot
2. event destined to happen, a god's decree, omen, prophecy, prediction
3. wizard, warlock, one having deep or supernatural skill or knowledge

Derived terms

Adjective

weird (comparative mair weird, superlative maist weird)

1. troublesome, mischievous, harmful

Verb

weird (third-person singular present weirds, present participle weirdin, past weirdit, past participle weirdit)

1. to ordain by fate, destine, assign a specific fate or fortune to, allot
2. to imprecate, invoke
3. to prophesy, prognosticate the fate of, warn ominously

English

Etymology

First attested in 1557. From Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”). Compare surd.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?b?z??d/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?b?s??d/
• (US) IPA^(key): /æb?s?d/, /æb?z?d/, /?b?s?d/, /?b?z?d/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /æb?z?d/
• Rhymes: -??(r)d

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder or more absurd, superlative absurdest or most absurd)

1. Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; silly. [First attested in the mid 16^th century.]
   • 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, V-iv

     This proffer is absurd and reasonless.

   • ca. 1710, Alexander Pope

     This phrase absurd to call a villain great
2. (obsolete) Inharmonious; dissonant. [Attested only in the early 17^th century.]
3. Having no rational or orderly relationship to people's lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.
4. Dealing with absurdism.

Usage notes

• In the comparative and superlative degrees, the forms more absurd and most absurd are usually preferred over absurder, absurdest.
• Among the synonyms:
  • Irrational is the weakest, denoting that which is plainly inconsistent with the dictates of sound reason; as, an irrational course of life.
  • Foolish rises higher, and implies either a perversion of that faculty, or an absolute weakness or fatuity of mind; as, foolish enterprises.
  • Absurd rises still higher, denoting that which is plainly opposed to received notions of propriety and truth; as, an absurd man, project, opinion, story, argument, etc.
  • Preposterous rises still higher, and supposes an absolute inversion in the order of things; or, in plain terms, a "putting of the cart before the horse;" as, a preposterous suggestion, preposterous conduct, a preposterous regulation or law.

Synonyms

• foolish, irrational, ridiculous, preposterous, inconsistent, incongruous, ludicrous
• See also Thesaurus:absurd

Derived terms

• absurdly, absurdity
• Absurdistan

Translations

Noun

absurd (plural absurds)

1. (obsolete) An absurdity. [Attested from the early 17^th century until the mid 17^th century.]
2. (philosophy, often preceded by the) The opposition between the human search for meaning in life and the inability to find any; the state or condition in which man exists in an irrational universe and his life has no meaning outside of his existence. [First attested in English in the early 20^th century and first used in the mid-19^th century in Danish by Kierkegaard.]

Derived terms

• Theatre of the Absurd

Translations

References

Further reading

• absurd in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• absurd in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Brauds, Burdas

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?p?su?t/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?p?surt/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ap?su?t/

Adjective

absurd (feminine absurda, masculine plural absurds, feminine plural absurdes)

1. absurd

Derived terms

• absurdament

Related terms

• absurditat
• sord

Noun

absurd m (plural absurds)

1. absurdity

Further reading

• “absurd” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “absurd” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “absurd” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “absurd” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus (“discordant, unreasonable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /absurd/, [?b?su???d?]

Adjective

absurd (neuter absurd, plural and definite singular attributive absurde)

1. absurd

Adverb

absurd

1. absurdly

Derived terms

• absurditet

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?s?rt/
• Hyphenation: ab?surd
• Rhymes: -?rt

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative absurdst)

1. absurd

Inflection

Related terms

• absurdisme
• absurditeit

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

absurd (comparative absurder, superlative am absurdesten)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• Absurdismus
• Absurdität

Further reading

• “absurd” in Duden online

Luxembourgish

Etymology

From German absurd, from Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?zu?t/, [?p?zu?t]

Adjective

absurd (masculine absurden, neuter absurd, comparative méi absurd, superlative am absurdsten)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• Absurditéit

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin absurdus (“incongruous, dissonant, out of tune”), from ab (“away from, out”) + surdus (“silent, deaf, dull-sounding”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab?s??/, /ab?s??d/, /ap?s??/, /ap?s??d/
• Rhymes: -??, -??d
• Hyphenation: ab?surd

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde, comparative mer absurd, superlative mest absurd)

1. absurd (contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth)

   Synonyms: fornuftsstridig, meningsløs, irrasjonell

2. (theater, literary sciences) absurdist (of or relating to absurdism)

   Synonym: absurdistisk

Derived terms

References

• “absurd” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “absurd” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “absurd” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• bardus

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd (neuter singular absurd, definite singular and plural absurde)

1. absurd

Related terms

• absurditet

References

• “absurd” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ap.surt/

Noun

absurd m inan (diminutive absurdzik)

1. nonsense

   Synonym: nonsens

   Jego propozycje to jeden wielki absurd.

   His suggestions are one big load of nonsense.

2. (logic) absurdity

Declension

Derived terms

• (verb) absurdalizowa?
• (nouns) absurdalno??, absurdalista, absurdalizacja
• (adjective) absurdalny
• (adverb) absurdalnie

Further reading

• absurd in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• absurd in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French absurde, Latin absurdus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab?surd/

Adjective

absurd m or n (feminine singular absurd?, masculine plural absurzi, feminine and neuter plural absurde)

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• absurditate

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absurdus.

Adjective

absurd

1. absurd

Declension

Related terms

• absurdism
• absurditet

Tatar

Adjective

absurd

1. Latin spelling of ?????? (absurd)