Ridiculous Meaning
/ɹɪˈdɪk.jʊ.ləs/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjDeserving of ridicule; foolish, absurd.
adjAstonishing, extreme, unbelievable.
Sentence Examples
His story was too ridiculous for anyone to believe.
Whoever told you such a ridiculous story?
I look ridiculous in this hat.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The idea of wearing a swimsuit in winter seemed completely ____ to everyone.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The proposal was so ____ that several members of the committee burst out laughing when it was read aloud.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin rīdiculus (“laughable, ridiculous”); Equivalent to ridicule + -ous.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"All the characters he has imitated are of the heroic kind, excepting only one ridiculous perſonage, that he has but once exhibited, I mean Therʃites."
— 1774, James Burnett, Lord Monboddo, Of The Origin And Progress Of Language, →OL, page 130:
"[...] if you reprimand or punish them, be assured every one will consider you importunate as well as ridiculous."
— 1833, Elisabeth Celnart, The Gentleman and Lady's Book of Politeness and Propriety of Deportment: Dedicated to the Youth of Both Sexes, Allen and Ticknor and Carter, Hendee, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 15:
"The novelist, whom people hardly believe, considering his pictures as ridiculous fancies, but who has devoted his life to explore in secret places; behind the curtain, where we cannot follow—where all is inaccessible to us."
— 1872, R J S, Ridiculous Fancies; An Allegory. Being the Lucubrations Of A Madman., page 14:
"Many of the so-called rites of these secret societies were so patently ridiculous, that it is quite obvious that they were merely an excuse for men and women to indulge in sex-play and lustful gratification, frequently of an abnormal kind."
— 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 161:
"And they are dangerous because when worn they make their wearer look ridiculous and contemptible to those not enthralled by the same fashion; and when their moment has passed they take up precious closet space, taunting you and making you lament of money that should have been spent on something more longevous."
— 2006, Nicholas Antongiavanni [pseudonym; Michael Anton], The Suit: A Machiavellian Approach to Men's Style, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 52:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The idea of wearing a swimsuit in winter seemed completely ____ to everyone.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The proposal was so ____ that several members of the committee burst out laughing when it was read aloud.