ribaldry

[rib-uh l-dree; spelling pronunciation rahy-buh l-dree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ribaldry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

ribald character, as of language; scurrility.

ribald speech.

Origin of ribaldry

1300–50; Middle English ribaudrie < Old French. See ribald, -ry

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

Related Words for ribaldry

indecency, impropriety, vulgarity, abomination, scatology, prurience, pornography, offense, dirtiness, curse, filth, impurity, swearword, blight, filthiness, dirt, smut, evil, outrage, wrong

Examples from the Web for ribaldry

Historical Examples of ribaldry

These were silent or even made some efforts to restrain the ribaldry of their men.
The Lion's Brood
Duffield Osborne
But he seemed to take little interest in the ribaldry of the other fellows.
Prairie Folks
Hamlin Garland
Then the lawyer tried to explain to him that no one read the ribaldry.
Miss Mackenzie
Anthony Trollope
It is certainly true, that every sort of ribaldry and obscenity are encouraged on the Chinese stage at the present day.
Travels in China, Containing Descriptions, Observations, and Comparisons, Made and Collected in the Course of a Short Residence at the Imperial Palace of Yuen-Min-Yuen, and on a Subsequent Journey through the Country from Pekin to Canton
John Barrow
That is an age which moves youth either to ribaldry or to compassion.
The Garden of Swords
Max Pemberton

British Dictionary definitions for ribaldry

ribaldry

noun

ribald language or behaviour

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 ribaldry

early 14c., from Old French ribauderie "debauchery, licentiousness," from ribalt (see ribald).