Meanings
comparative more Laputan · superlative most Laputan
- Fanciful; preposterous; absurd in philosophy or science.
He could not, they observed, want all his various knowledge and Laputan ideas for his periodical writing which brought him most of his bread, and he would do well to use his talents in getting a speciality that would fit him for a post.
[1879], George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “[Impressions of Theophrastus Such.] How We Encourage Research.”, in Impressions of Theophrastus Such, Essays and Leaves from a Note-book, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, page 33
plural Laputans
- A native or inhabitant of the fictional island of Laputa.
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivenot practical or realizable; speculative
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From Laputa + -an, after Laputa, an imaginary flying island described in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Laputan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Laputan
“Laputan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Laputan. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Laputan,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Laputan.
Source: Laputan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.