ribald

[ rib-uhld; spelling pronunciation rahy-buhld ]

/ ˈrɪb əld; spelling pronunciation ˈraɪ bəld /

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adjective

vulgar or indecent in speech, language, etc.; coarsely mocking, abusive, or irreverent; scurrilous.

noun

a ribald person.

Nearby words

rib steak, rib-knit, rib-tickler, rib-tickling, riba, ribald, ribaldry, riband, ribat, ribavirin, ribband

Origin of ribald

1200–50; Middle English ribald, ribaud (noun) < Old French ribau(l)d, equivalent to rib(er) to be licentious (< Old High German rīben to copulate, be in heat, literally, rub) + -au(l)d, -alt < Frankish *-wald a suffix in personal names, derivative of *walden to rule; compare parallel development of -ard

SYNONYMS FOR ribald

1 indecent, obscene, gross.

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ANTONYMS FOR ribald

1 pure.

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Related forms

rib·ald·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ribald

He is the master of ribald repartee; he could be cutting without being catty.
'The Village Voice' Was Crazy to Fire Him: 5 Reasons Why Michael Musto Matters|Tricia Romano|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At ABC, their ribald cop show, The Job, was jerked around the schedule before finally being canceled in 2002 after two seasons.
Denis Leary to the Rescue|Joel Keller|April 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
And at the trail's end the unkempt, ribald crew swarmed their dark and dirty camp as a band of pirates a galleon.
Blazed Trail Stories|Stewart Edward White
But their responses are not always well timed, and the notes of the jackdaw sound uncommonly like the scoffings of the ribald.
The Hardy Country|Charles G. Harper

That ribald laughter still floated upward as he made his departure, and the Judge was annoyed.
Mixed Faces|Roy Norton
Up the trail on horseback, with shouts and ribald songs, rode four rough men, too drunk to know where they were going.
The Girl from Montana|Grace Livingston Hill
He looked at his cousin, and his ribald eyes coasted back to bold scrutiny of this young woman's charming, buoyant youth.
Wyoming, a Story of the Outdoor West|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for ribald

ribald

/ (ˈrɪbəld) /

adjective

coarse, obscene, or licentious, usually in a humorous or mocking way

noun

a ribald person

Derived Forms

ribaldly, adverb

Word Origin for ribald

C13: from Old French ribauld, from riber to live licentiously, of Germanic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012