ridicule

[ rid-i-kyool ]

/ ˈrɪd ɪˌkyul /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ridicule ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

speech or action intended to cause contemptuous laughter at a person or thing; derision.

verb (used with object), rid·i·culed, rid·i·cul·ing.

to deride; make fun of.

Nearby words

ridgewood, ridgway, ridgy, ridgy-didge, ridic, ridicule, ridiculous, riding, riding boot, riding breeches, riding crop

Origin of ridicule

1665–75; < Latin rīdiculum a joke, equivalent to rīd(ēre) to laugh + -i- -i- + -culum -cule²

SYNONYMS FOR ridicule

1 mockery, raillery, sarcasm, satire, irony.

2 banter, chaff, rally, twit, burlesque, satirize, lampoon. 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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ridicule ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR ridicule

praise.

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Related forms

rid·i·cul·er, nounself-rid·i·cule, nounun·rid·i·culed, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for ridicule

Over time, because of its popularity among young girls, it became the object of ridicule.
In Japan, Zima Haz No Zexual Preference|Jake Adelstein, Angela Erika Kubo|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Although sprightly, Lilith is unusually small for her age, and thereby the butt of ridicule from her classmates.
Holocaust Horrors Haunt the Films ‘Ida’ And ‘The German Doctor’|Jack Schwartz|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The wackiest of Mormon teachings—many unknown to practicing Mormons today—have been dredged up and held to ridicule.
The Core Mormon Teaching the LDS Church Didn’t Jettison|Jay Michaelson|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
However, the reaction—and the ridicule—was so extreme that he soon backed down.
Will Jargon Be the Death of the English Language?|The Telegraph|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

You put yourself out there for ridicule ‘cause it’s your face they see.
Norman Reedus: Daryl Doesn’t Need Romance, ‘The Walking Dead’ Isn’t About Erections|Melissa Leon|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was convinced that he ought to join them, and did so in spite of the ridicule of his rich and titled friends.
The Story of American History|Albert F. Blaisdell
Some of the younger passengers especially seemed to think him, by their remarks, a fair subject for their ridicule.
Old Jack|W.H.G. Kingston
He had brought upon himself the ill-feeling of a certain gentleman whom he had, in one of his pleadings, turned into ridicule.
Curiosities of Olden Times|S. Baring-Gould
The fear of ridicule is the most dominant of our feelings, that which controls us in most things and with the most strength.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park
But centrifugal force had rendered them ridiculous, and the public never sympathises with those whom ridicule has covered.
The Lion's Share|E. Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for ridicule

ridicule

/ (ˈrɪdɪˌkjuːl) /

noun

language or behaviour intended to humiliate or mock; derision

verb

(tr) to make fun of, mock, or deride

Derived Forms

ridiculer, noun

Word Origin for ridicule

C17: from French, from Latin rīdiculus, from rīdēre to laugh

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