ridiculous
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See absurd.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ridiculous
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. )
Explanation
Did you just say that you could toss a rubber chicken over an ocean? Don’t be ridiculous, because ridiculous words are hard to believe, and they will make others laugh at you, not always in a good way either. The adjective ridiculous comes from the Latin word ridere, which means “to laugh,” but it’s also related to the word ridicule, which means to mock in a cruel way. A mocking and cruel laughter, that’s a common reaction to ridiculous situations. However, there are all different kinds of ridiculous, like seeing a fish holding an umbrella while riding a bike.
Vocabulary lists containing ridiculous
The Secret Life of Bees
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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"Abuela Invents the Zero" and "Karate"
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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.
"There's certainly a downside. If you saw the bins at the end of the day, it is ridiculous."
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
His honesty and compassion seem ridiculous only to those who consider themselves most worthy of his deference and who conspicuously lack these qualities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
When we went to get it resized, the jeweler charged us $80, which I think is ridiculous because the stone was loose.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
"We're here, we've been here for years, and it's ridiculous."
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
And it occurs to me for the first time what a ridiculous saying “two peas in a pod” is.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
