reductio ad absurdum
The method of disproving a statement by assuming the statement is true and, with that…The method of disproving a statement by assuming the statement is true and, with that assumption, arriving at a blatant contradiction.
Meaning
1 senses(uncountable, usually)The method of disproving a statement by assuming the statement is true and, with that assumption, arriving at a blatant contradiction.
More definitions
- (reduction to the absurd) a disproof by showing that the consequences of the proposition are absurd; or a proof of a proposition by showing that its negation leads to a contradiction
Examples
1 sentencesDonald Trump is the living reductio ad absurdum of the decades-long debate over "political correctness."
Origin
Unadapted borrowing from Latin reductiō ad absurdum.Unadapted borrowing from Latin reductiō ad absurdum.
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Forms
plural: reductio ad absurdums| Singular | reductio ad absurdum |
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uncountable
Synonyms
4 synonymsClose in meaning
- (reduction to the absurd) a disproof by showing that the consequences of the proposition are absurd; or a proof of a proposition by showing that its negation leads to a contradiction:reductio
Lessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable