Added 8 October 2026
ridicule
/ˈɹɪdɪkjuːl/ verb
Latin root: rīdiculus Wiktionary
verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ridicule at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
To criticize or disapprove of someone or something through scornful jocularity; to make fun of.
His older sibling constantly ridiculed him with sarcastic remarks.
noun
- Derision; mocking or humiliating words or behavior.
- An object of sport or laughter; a laughing stock.
- The quality of being ridiculous; ridiculousness.
adjective
noun
Origin
The obsolete adjective is borrowed from French ridicule, from Latin rīdiculus (“laughable, comical, amusing, absurd, ridiculous”), from ridere (“to laugh”). The noun is either from French, noun use of adjective, or from Latin rīdiculum, noun use of neuter of rīdiculus. The verb is from the noun or else from French ridiculer, from ridicule.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)