Meanings
ridicule1
present singular third person ridicules · participle present ridiculing · participle past ridiculed · past ridiculed
- transitiveTo criticize or disapprove of someone or something through scornful jocularity; to make fun of.
His older sibling constantly ridiculed him with sarcastic remarks.
plural ridicules
- countableuncountableDerision; mocking or humiliating words or behavior.
Safe from the Bar, the Pulpit, and the Throne, / Yet touch'd and sham'd by Ridicule alone.
1738, Alexander Pope, Epilogue to the Satires: Dialogue II1 more example
When he was young you'd not find him doing well in school, His mind would turn unto the waters. Always the focus of adolescent ridicule, He has no time for farmer's daughters. Alienated from the clique society, A lonely boy finds peace in fishing.
1989, “John the Fisherman”, performed by Primus - countableuncountableAn object of sport or laughter; a laughing stock.
To the people […] but a trifle, to the king but a ridicule.
1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC1 more example
[Marlborough] was so miserably ignorant, that his deficiencies made him the ridicule of his contemporaries.
1857, Henry Thomas Buckle, History of Civilization in England - countableuncountableThe quality of being ridiculous; ridiculousness.
to see the ridicule of this monstrous practice
1710 March 31 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “MONDAY, March 21, 1709–1710”, in The Spectator, number 18; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC1 more example
More keenly alive perhaps than any of her sisters to the little ridicules that belonged to Mrs. Palmer's character, she yet saw how small was their importance, and that Mrs. Palmer was not only a better but a happier person than most of those with whom she was acquainted.
1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 65
comparative more ridicule · superlative most ridicule
ridicule2
plural ridicules
- historicalregionalA small woman's handbag; a reticule.First known use 18th c.
I hastily drew my empty hand from my Ridicule.
c. 1825, Frances Burney, Journals and Letters, Penguin, published 2001, page 4552 more examples
[…] while paying her own compliments to Mrs. Bates, and appearing to attend to the good old lady’s replies, she saw her with a sort of anxious parade of mystery fold up a letter which she had apparently been reading aloud to Miss Fairfax, and return it into the purple and gold ridicule by her side, […]
1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter XVI, in Emma: […], volume III, London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC, pages 295–296“Tills be blowed!” said Mr. Claypole; “there’s more things besides tills to be emptied.” “What do you mean?” asked his companion. “Pockets, women’s ridicules, houses, mailcoaches, banks,” said Mr. Claypole, rising with the porter.
1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “An Old Acquaintance of Oliver’s, Exhibiting Decided Marks of Genius, Becomes a Public Character in the Metropolis”, in Oliver Twist; […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 103
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo criticize or disapprove of someone or something through scornful jocularity; to make fun of.
More synonyms by meaning
verbsubject to laughter or ridicule
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
ridicule · verb, noun, adjective
- Frenchridiculer
- Latinrīdiculum
- Latinrīdiculus“laughable, comical, amusing, absurd, ridiculous”
- Frenchridicule
- Englishridicule
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.
Full word history & related roots →ridicule · noun
- Frenchridicule“reticule”
- Englishridicule
Apparently from French ridicule (“reticule”), probably a punning alteration of réticule after ridicule (“ridicule”).
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek διασύρω, μωκάομαι
- διασύρω (diasúrō)to make fun of someone
- μωκάομαι (mōkáomai)to make fun of someone
- κατάγελως (katágelōs)derision
Arabic تَهَكَّمَ, سَخِرَ
- تَهَكَّمَ (tahakkama)to make fun of someone
- سَخِرَ (saḵira)to make fun of someone
Bulgarian осми́вам, осме́я
- осми́вам (osmívam)to make fun of someone
- осме́я (osméja)to make fun of someone
- присми́вам се (prismívam se)to make fun of someone
- присме́я се (prisméja se)to make fun of someone
- присмех (prismeh)derision
Chinese Mandarin 嘲笑
- 嘲笑 (cháoxiào)to make fun of someone
Czech výsměch
- výsměchderision
Danish latterliggøre, gøre nar af
- latterliggøreto make fun of someone
- gøre nar afto make fun of someone
- latterliggørelsederision
Dutch bespotten
- bespottento make fun of someone
Esperanto ridindigi, moki
- ridindigito make fun of someone
- mokito make fun of someone
- mokadoderision
Estonian naeruvääristama, pilkama
- naeruvääristamato make fun of someone
- pilkamato make fun of someone
Finnish tehdä naurunalaiseksi, ivata
- tehdä naurunalaiseksito make fun of someone
- ivatato make fun of someone
- pilkatato make fun of someone
- pilkkaderision
- halventaminenderision
- pilkkaaminenderision
- ivaderision
- ivailuderision
French ridiculiser, tourner en dérision
- ridiculiserto make fun of someone
- tourner en dérisionto make fun of someone
- tourner en ridiculeto make fun of someone
German verspotten
- verspottento make fun of someone
Greek περιγελώ, κοροϊδεύω
- περιγελώ (perigeló)to make fun of someone
- κοροϊδεύω (koroïdévo)to make fun of someone
Hindi उपहास, खिल्ली
- उपहास (uphās)derision
- खिल्ली (khillī)derision
Hungarian gúnyol, kigúnyol
- gúnyolto make fun of someone
- kigúnyolto make fun of someone
- tréfát űzto make fun of someone
- gúnyderision
- nevetségderision
Italian ridicolizzare, derisione
- ridicolizzareto make fun of someone
- derisionederision
Japanese 嘲笑う, 嘲笑する
- 嘲笑う (azawarau)to make fun of someone
- 嘲笑する (chōshō suru)to make fun of someone
Korean 놀리다, 비웃다
- 놀리다 (nollida)to make fun of someone
- 비웃다 (biutda)to make fun of someone
Lithuanian šaipytis
- šaipytisto make fun of someone
Malay memperlekeh
- memperlekehto make fun of someone
Māori tāwai, whakahahani
- tāwaito make fun of someone
- whakahahanito make fun of someone
- taunuto make fun of someone
- whakamanumanuto make fun of someone
Norwegian Bokmål latterliggjøre
- latterliggjøreto make fun of someone
Persian مسخره کردن, استهزا
- مسخره کردن (masxare kardan)to make fun of someone
- استهزا (estehzâ)derision
Polish wyśmiewać, wyśmiać
- wyśmiewaćto make fun of someone
- wyśmiaćto make fun of someone
Portuguese ridicularizar
- ridicularizarto make fun of someone
Romanian batjocori, ridiculiza
- batjocorito make fun of someone
- ridiculizato make fun of someone
Russian высме́ивать, вы́смеять
- высме́ивать (vysméivatʹ)to make fun of someone
- вы́смеять (výsmejatʹ)to make fun of someone
- насмеха́ться (nasmexátʹsja)to make fun of someone
- насме́шка (nasméška)derision
Spanish ridiculizar, poner en ridículo
- ridiculizarto make fun of someone
- poner en ridículoto make fun of someone
- poner en solfato make fun of someone
- ridiculizaciónderision
Swedish göra narr av, förlöjliga
- göra narr avto make fun of someone
- förlöjligato make fun of someone
- hånato make fun of someone
Thai ล้อ, หยอกล้อ
- ล้อ (lɔ́ɔ)to make fun of someone
- หยอกล้อto make fun of someone
- เหน็บแนม (nèp-nɛɛm)to make fun of someone
Turkish alay etmek, dalga geçmek
- alay etmekto make fun of someone
- dalga geçmekto make fun of someone
Ukrainian висмі́ювати, ви́сміяти
- висмі́ювати (vysmíjuvaty)to make fun of someone
- ви́сміяти (výsmijaty)to make fun of someone
- насміха́тися (nasmixátysja)to make fun of someone
Vietnamese nhạo báng, giễu cợt
- nhạo bángto make fun of someone
- giễu cợtto make fun of someone
- chế nhạoto make fun of someone
Cite this entry
ridicule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ridicule
“ridicule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ridicule. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ridicule,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ridicule.
Source: ridicule on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.