Synonyms

ridicule

American

[rid-i-kyool] / ˈrɪd ɪˌkyul /

noun

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

Synonyms:

irony, satire, sarcasm, raillery, mockery

verb (used with object)

ridiculed, ridiculing

to deride; make fun of.

Synonyms:

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

ridicule British

/ ˈrɪdɪˌkjuːl /

noun

language or behaviour intended to humiliate or mock; derision

"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

verb

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

"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

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

ridiculer noun
self-ridicule noun
unridiculed adjective

Etymology

Origin of ridicule

First recorded in 1665–75; from Latin rīdiculum “a joke,” equivalent to rīdēre “to laugh” + -i- -i- + -culum -cule ²

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.

White has ridiculed Hearn for saying he was heartbroken by Benn's exit, claiming he feels he has come into boxing and is "beating up babies".

From BBC

She was ridiculed for paying that price for a hotel, schooled on travel insurance and questioned about why she would fly a budget airline, Sun Country.

From The Wall Street Journal

Johnson has learned nothing from being widely ridiculed for this behavior.

From Salon

He attracted online ridicule in 2019 when he replied to his own social media post with: "Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus".

From Barron's

I felt ridiculed but, I suspected, not as much as he’d have liked me to.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023