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ribald

[rib-uhld; spelling pronunciation rahy-buhld]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ribald ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

noun

a ribald person.

RELATED WORDS

naughty, sly, rude, off-color, racy, coarse, bawdy, lewd, foul-mouthed, blue, gross, purple, fast, raw, rogue, base, rough, devilish, earthy, filthy

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
Related formsrib·ald·ly, adverb

Synonyms for ribald

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ribald ON THESAURUS.COM
1. indecent, obscene, gross.

Antonyms for ribald

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

Examples from the Web for ribald

Contemporary Examples of ribald

Historical Examples of ribald

  • A cry of surprise was raised, and drowned in a volley of ribald inquiry and chaff.

    The Black Bag

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • But yesternight that ribald mocked him with his lack of scars.

    The Sea-Hawk

    Raphael Sabatini

  • All his life Alexander had been the victim of the most ribald calumnies.

  • Logan raised his voice to repeat the words and to add a ribald comment.

    Nan of Music Mountain

    Frank H. Spearman

  • Mr. Harding showed that he had a large repertoire of ribald rhyme.

    The Wrong Woman

    Charles D. Stewart

British Dictionary definitions for ribald

ribald

adjective

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

noun

a ribald person
Derived Formsribaldly, 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
Word Origin and History for ribald
adj.

c.1500, from ribald, ribaud (n.), mid-13c., "a rogue, ruffian, rascall, scoundrell, varlet, filthie fellow" [Cotgrave], from Old French ribaut, ribalt "rogue, scoundrel, lewd lover," also as an adjective, "wanton, depraved, dissolute, licentious," of uncertain origin, perhaps (with suffix -ald) from riber "be wanton, sleep around, dally amorously," from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German riban "be wanton," literally "to rub," possibly from the common euphemistic use of "rub" words to mean "have sex"), from Proto-Germanic *wribanan, from PIE root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper