aberwitzig
Translation
ludicrous, preposterous, insane, zany
Examples
Das ist eine aberwitzige Idee.
That is a ludicrous idea.
Er fuhr mit aberwitziger Geschwindigkeit.
He drove at an insane speed.
Grammar Patterns
[Adjective] + [Noun] (attributive) Das ist eine aberwitzige Idee.
sein + [Adjective] (predicative) Die Idee ist aberwitzig.
Similar Words
Synonyms: absurd, wahnsinnig, grotesk; Antonyms: vernünftig (reasonable), sinnvoll (sensible)
Etymology
From 'Aberwitz' (madness) + the adjective suffix '-ig'. 'Aberwitz' is a combination of 'aber-' (meaning 'amiss' or 'false') and 'Witz' (wit, sense), so it literally means 'false sense'.
Memory Tips
Imagine a joke ('Witz') that goes so far 'aber' (beyond) reason that it's just plain crazy.