ludic

American  

[loo-dik] / ˈlu dɪk /

adjective

1. playful in an aimless way.

   the ludic behavior of kittens.

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ludic British  

/ ˈluːdɪk /

adjective

1. literary playful

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Etymology

Origin of ludic

1935–40; < Latin lūd- (stem of lūdere to play) + -ic, perhaps via French ludique, learned formation from same components

Example Sentences

A riot of colors, ludic patterns, and subtle riffs on harlequins.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023

The Elimane file is a ludic tour of all the ways African literature can be erased: through contempt, through challenges to its authenticity, through a pious regard for noble savagery, through bemused and condescending politeness.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2023

All the merch and paraphernalia has this ludic, carefree subtext that the intensity of the 60s and 70s, and the squeamishness that came after it, could never have set out to achieve.

From The Guardian • Dec. 12, 2019

This ludic approach makes for some awkward challenges for the reader, who meets Edison as an old man, his children as adults and his second wife before his first.

From Washington Post • Nov. 27, 2019

So is the range of emotional registers: His music can be dirge-like, ludic, abstracted — sometimes multiple things at once.

From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2018