ridiculous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See absurd.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ridiculous
First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin rīdiculōsus “laughable, droll,” equivalent to Latin rīdicul(us), adjective derivative of rīdiculum ridicule ( def. ) + -ōsus -ous ( def. )
Explanation
Did you just say that you could toss a rubber chicken over an ocean? Don’t be ridiculous, because ridiculous words are hard to believe, and they will make others laugh at you, not always in a good way either. The adjective ridiculous comes from the Latin word ridere, which means “to laugh,” but it’s also related to the word ridicule, which means to mock in a cruel way. A mocking and cruel laughter, that’s a common reaction to ridiculous situations. However, there are all different kinds of ridiculous, like seeing a fish holding an umbrella while riding a bike.
Vocabulary lists containing ridiculous
The Secret Life of Bees
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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"Abuela Invents the Zero" and "Karate"
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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.
Our critic raved, calling the previous entry “thrilling, comic, ridiculous and fun.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
"There's certainly a downside. If you saw the bins at the end of the day, it is ridiculous."
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
He has lost his team, starting with his ridiculous Australian experiment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
When we went to get it resized, the jeweler charged us $80, which I think is ridiculous because the stone was loose.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
It was almost a ridiculous suggestion, since the walk to Sandy June’s was ten minutes tops, even if you were being lazy.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
