ludicrous

[loo-di-kruhs]

adjective

1. causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable.

   a ludicrous lack of efficiency.

   Synonyms: farcical

ludicrous

/ ˈluːdɪkrəs /

adjective

1. absurd or incongruous to the point of provoking ridicule or laughter

Other Word Forms

• ludicrousness noun
• ludicrously adverb
• unludicrous adjective
• unludicrously adverb
• unludicrousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ludicrous¹

1610–20; from Latin lūdicrus “sportive,” equivalent to lūdicr(um) “a show, public games” ( lūdi-, stem of lūdere “to play” + -crum noun suffix of instrument or result) + -us -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of ludicrous¹

C17: from Latin lūdicrus done in sport, from lūdus game; related to lūdere to play

Synonym Study

See funny ¹.

Example Sentences

“The notion that State Parks favors plants over people is ludicrous,” a spokesperson for California State Parks said in a statement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It may seem ludicrous to risk a fast bowler with the injury history of a crash-test dummy when his first attempt at cricket in whites for 15 months resulted in a trip to hospital.

Read more on BBC

Joe Bennett, Lindsay's son, described the charges against them as "ludicrous".

Read more on BBC

At its core, Smith’s collection is glamorous, albeit unrealistic and ludicrous — much like Smith’s own social media content.

Read more on Salon

This is a ludicrous way to run the air transportation system of any country, much less the richest and most powerful one in the history of the planet.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bizarre 
• comical 
• crazy 
• fantastic 
• farcical 
• foolish 
• funny 
• grotesque 
• incongruous 
• laughable 
• nonsensical 
• odd 
• outlandish 
• preposterous 
• silly