ridiculous

[ri-dik-yuh-luhs]

adjective

1. causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable.

   a ridiculous plan.

   Synonyms: farcical, comical, droll, funny, ludicrous, nonsensical
   Antonyms: sensible

2. Slang.,  absurdly or unbelievably good, bad, crazy, etc..

   The concert was ridiculous, their best performance ever!

ridiculous

/ rɪˈdɪkjʊləs /

adjective

1. worthy of or exciting ridicule; absurd, preposterous, laughable, or contemptible

Other Word Forms

• ridiculously adverb
• ridiculousness noun
• ridiculosity noun
• hyperridiculous adjective
• hyperridiculously adverb
• quasi-ridiculous adjective
• quasi-ridiculously adverb
• unridiculous adjective
• unridiculously adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ridiculous¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Late Latin rīdiculōsus “laughable, droll,” equivalent to Latin rīdicul(us), adjective derivative of rīdiculum ridicule ( def. ) + -ōsus -ous ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of ridiculous¹

C16: from Latin rīdiculōsus , from rīdēre to laugh

Idioms and Phrases

see from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Synonym Study

See absurd.

Example Sentences

Both the video and the president’s reaction are ridiculous.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Slot admitted on Tuesday that he feels "guilty" over Liverpool's "ridiculous" slump.

Read more on Barron's

“This is a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop,” Fitzpatrick said.

Read more on Salon

"It was incredibly stressful because the price of groceries has gone up, the cost of living in general is ridiculous," said Ms Secord, who finally landed a receptionist role in early November.

Read more on BBC

There are other people who think that’s a completely ridiculous way to be, and they’re like, “Not everybody has a story, and not everybody is interesting.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• absurd 
• bizarre 
• fantastic 
• foolish 
• goofy 
• impossible 
• incredible 
• laughable 
• ludicrous 
• nonsensical 
• outrageous 
• preposterous 
• silly 
• unbelievable 
• wacky