ridicule
[ rid-i-kyool ]
/ ˈrɪd ɪˌkyul /
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.
Words nearby ridicule
ridgewood, ridgway, ridgy, ridgy-didge, ridic, ridicule, ridiculous, riding, riding boot, riding breeches, riding crop
Origin of ridicule
SYNONYMS FOR ridicule
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM ridicule
rid·i·cul·er, nounself-rid·i·cule, nounun·rid·i·culed, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for ridicule
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 of ridicule
ridiculer, nounWord 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