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Definition of ridicule in English:

ridicule

Pronunciation /ˈridiˌkyo͞ol/ /ˈrɪdɪˌkjul/

noun

  • The subjection of someone or something to contemptuous and dismissive language or behavior.

    ‘he is held up as an object of ridicule’
    • ‘Sheriff William Holligan said Reilly was an object of ridicule and his treatment by officers was unprofessional.’
    • ‘A person who snores is often an object of ridicule and causes sleepless nights for others.’
    • ‘Therefore, if Rousseau were interested in spiritualism, during his lifetime it need not have made him an object of ridicule.’
    • ‘There is a fine line sometimes between a joke, satire, ridicule and genuine defamatory ridicule.’
    • ‘Punishment is administered not by burning at the stake but by ridicule and contempt in the media.’
    • ‘Rather, it invites ridicule, contempt and cynicism towards the whole devolution project.’
    • ‘Who wants to be exposed to public ridicule and contempt as part of their job description?’
    • ‘Never has there been such mistrust of politicians; such contempt, cynicism, ridicule.’
    • ‘The law of libel in England is based on whether the plaintiff has suffered hatred, ridicule or contempt.’
    • ‘In this, Jane Austen's last completed work, satire and ridicule take a milder form, and the tone is more grave and tender.’
    • ‘How do you in practice decide whether some ridicule is reasonable and some ridicule is unreasonable?’
    • ‘Instead the media and the powers that be heaped scorn and ridicule upon him.’
    • ‘But the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance said the demand would bring ridicule on the Government.’
    • ‘And don't forget how the Eiffel Tower was greeted with ridicule before becoming the great attraction it so surely is.’
    • ‘If it had happened in some third world country, it would have been the object of ridicule from the press here.’
    • ‘That hasn't prevented him becoming the object of ridicule among his peers or the victim of inane questioning about his lifestyle.’
    • ‘Others are bullied, either because they are isolated from their peers or because a sick or disabled parent is an easy object of ridicule.’
    • ‘No government likes to have ridicule heaped upon it although this administration seems to mind it less than others.’
    • ‘Beaten and bruised, he patiently endures the ridicule and scorn heaped upon him.’
    • ‘Individuals suffering panic attacks often go to great lengths to hide their symptoms because they fear ridicule.’
    mockery, derision, laughter, scorn, scoffing, contempt, jeering, sneering, sneers, jibes, jibing, joking, teasing, taunts, taunting, ragging, chaffing, twitting, raillery, sarcasm, satire, lampoon, burlesque, caricature, parody
    View synonyms

transitive verb

[with object]

  • Subject (someone or something) to contemptuous and dismissive language or behavior.

    ‘his theory was ridiculed and dismissed’
    • ‘Singleton strikes the difficult balance between recapitulating stereotypes and ridiculing them in broad burlesque.’
    • ‘The man was ridiculed, his claims dismissed, and his ethics attacked.’
    • ‘It is a noble and powerful impulse, one not casually to be ridiculed or dismissed.’
    • ‘The satirists have quickly gone to work, ridiculing the move.’
    • ‘Soon the day will come when I am officially bilingual, and the moment this is achieved I plan to start ridiculing unilingual people.’
    • ‘Finally, is it possible he is ridiculing himself?’
    • ‘His presumed pragmatism upholds the status quo by ridiculing the relative few who dare to challenge it.’
    • ‘Without ridiculing the poet, he gently suggests Mrs Yeats must have been manipulating the spiritual dialogues for her own benign purposes.’
    • ‘The media has the job of challenging and confronting elected officials - and ridiculing them into the bargain.’
    • ‘Her idea for a television series based on the same idea was roundly ridiculed by TV executives.’
    • ‘The new rules were widely ridiculed, and this reporter was among the harshest critics.’
    • ‘While widely ridiculed, if we put normative considerations aside, she's largely right.’
    • ‘The U.S. Air Force ridiculed the idea that electromagnetic radiation could cause illness.’
    • ‘He ridicules the notion that its members are committed to fighting poverty.’
    • ‘Keyes has been roundly ridiculed for his outspoken and inflexible conservatism.’
    • ‘To be lampooned, or even ridiculed, is better than being ignored.’
    • ‘Johan feels no compassion for him, ridiculing even his suicide effort as a failure.’
    • ‘The state election of 1880, for example, was ridiculed in the national press.’
    • ‘McCann, of course, was ridiculed by the media, who refused to accept he might have a case.’
    deride, mock, laugh at, heap scorn on, hold up to shame, hold up to ridicule, expose to ridicule, jeer at, jibe at, sneer at, show up, treat with contempt, scorn, make fun of, poke fun at, make jokes about, laugh to scorn, scoff at, pillory, be sarcastic about, satirize, lampoon, burlesque, caricature, parody, tease, taunt, rag, chaff, twit
    View synonyms

Origin

Late 17th century from French, or from Latin ridiculum, neuter (used as a noun) of ridiculus ‘laughable’, from ridere ‘to laugh’.

Pronunciation

ridicule

/ˈridiˌkyo͞ol/ /ˈrɪdɪˌkjul/