ridicule
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
ridicules,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ridiculed,
past participle, past
-
ridiculing
present participle
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
Ridicule, deride, mock, taunt imply making game of a person, usually in an unkind, jeering way. To ridicule is to make fun of, either sportively and good-humoredly, or unkindly with the intention of humiliating: to ridicule a pretentious person. To deride is to assail one with scornful laughter: to deride a statement of belief. To mock is sometimes playfully, sometimes insultingly, to imitate and caricature the appearance or actions of another: She mocked the seriousness of his expression. To taunt is to call attention to something annoying or humiliating, usually maliciously and exultingly and often in the presence of others: to taunt a candidate about his defeat in an election.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ridiculesimple
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ridiculessimple
-
have ridiculedperfect
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has ridiculedperfect
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am ridiculingprogressive
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are ridiculingprogressive
-
is ridiculingprogressive
-
have been ridiculingperfect progressive
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has been ridiculingperfect progressive
Past
-
ridiculedsimple
-
had ridiculedperfect
-
was ridiculingprogressive
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were ridiculingprogressive
-
had been ridiculingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ridicule
First recorded in 1665–75; from Latin rīdiculum “a joke,” equivalent to rīdēre “to laugh” + -i- -i- + -culum -cule 2
Explanation
When you ridicule someone, you mock or make fun of them. They become the object of your ridicule or mockery. Your bad behavior might bring ridicule on your parents, who raised you to know better. The word ridicule is related to ridiculous. If you ridicule a friend, you try to make them look ridiculous. But now that isn't very friendly! Both words come from the Latin redire which means to laugh. When you are ridiculed, you are made a laughing stock, but being the object of ridicule is never funny.
Vocabulary lists containing ridicule
English Words Derived from French, List 1
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List 6
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Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The public ridicule remained ceaseless, but alleged tension was also brewing behind palace walls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
"He was being subjected to relentless scrutiny, including ridicule, discrediting absolutely every detail of his life," Baron-Cohen said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
It was a humiliating showing for the 63-year-old Bucknor, drawing ridicule from players and fans alike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She’s let her hair go gray but kept up her tan, and she’s careful not to ridicule the ways her body has changed with age.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
I wanted to ridicule him for using chatspeak IRL, but I found myself lacking the energy.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
When Charlie Brown joyfully returns to his friends with the spindly little tree, the gang ridicules his choice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2024
When Harris doubts or ridicules his stature, his wealth, the size of his crowds, or whatever, he feels compelled to fight back and restore his eminent centrality at once.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2024
This is a show that ridicules the genre’s feverish dedication to pimping childhood trauma and other excuses for hyper-masculinity by doubling down on the deep friendship that keeps Harley and Ivy firmly rooted.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2023
She ridicules his choice of music — we’ll come back to that — and pleads with him to consider exploring older, more canonical figures.
From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2023
He doesn’t take their money and usually doesn’t shove them, but he ridicules them.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
She ridiculed Lee's latest overture, calling it "the climax of the farce that everyone should watch" and said the military's demand her country apologise was "quite ridiculous."
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg even made it a point to ride his bike to work, a choice that Trump ridiculed.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dundon’s move was widely criticized — and ridiculed — after the Hurricanes on Thursday posted a picture of the engravings on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Such attitudes have been ridiculed in the U.S. press, and prickly French politicians are now upset we noticed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Time and again Mr. Muhammad’s teachings were rebuffed and even ridiculed.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Calling on allies to “step up” after ridiculing them was “ham-handed,” Radd said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
At a demonstration outside the Parliament building in the Bulgarian capital, a giant screen looped videos and memes ridiculing politicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Raising his phone to capture the confrontation on video, the senator began ridiculing her.
From New York Times ● May 26, 2024
Both Daniels and Trump, who is the actual defendant, come out of these exchanges sounding like schoolchildren ridiculing each other.
From Slate ● May 10, 2024
It wasn’t a ridiculing laugh; it was a happy laugh at a good joke.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
