ridiculous

[ri-dik-yuh-luh s] /rɪˈdɪk yə ləs/

adjective

causing or worthy of ridicule or derision; absurd; preposterous; laughable:

a ridiculous plan.

Slang. absurdly or unbelievably good, bad, crazy, etc.:

The concert was ridiculous, their best performance ever!

Origin

1540-50; < Late Latin rīdiculōsus laughable, droll, and Latin rīdiculus (adj. derivative of rīdiculum ridicule); see -ous

Related forms

ridiculously, adverb

ridiculousness, ridiculosity

[ri-dik-yuh-los-i-tee] /rɪˌdɪk yəˈlɒs ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), noun

hyperridiculous, adjective

hyperridiculously, adverb

hyperridiculousness, noun

quasi-ridiculous, adjective

quasi-ridiculously, adverb

unridiculous, adjective

unridiculously, adverb

unridiculousness, noun

Synonyms

1. nonsensical, ludicrous, funny, droll, comical, farcical. See absurd.

Antonyms

1. sensible.

Examples from the web for ridiculous

First there's the inherently ridiculous contradiction-the recognition of absurdity is often funny.
My step sister used to dry clean her expensive jeans to keep them nicer longer, but freezing them is ridiculous.
In the process of shedding the thick gray down from their heads and necks, they acquire ridiculous hairdos.
To do so, would be to make myself ridiculous, and to offer an insult to your understanding.
They will probably realize that this notion is ridiculous.
It's a ridiculous idea, perhaps, but ask them to go along with it for fun and for the sake of the lesson.
They've been called awkward, grotesque, and absurdly ridiculous.
It's fun to come up with these ridiculous ideas and then actually take them to places.
We will never have a complete record, but saying that there are no transition fossils is a bit ridiculous, if not a blatant lie.
The ominous and foreboding music added to the ridiculous depiction of every day prison life.

British Dictionary definitions for ridiculous

ridiculous

/rɪˈdɪkjʊləs/

adjective

worthy of or exciting ridicule; absurd, preposterous, laughable, or contemptible

Derived Forms

ridiculously, adverb
ridiculousness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin rīdiculōsus, from rīdēre to laugh

Word Origin and History for ridiculous

adj.

1540s, ridyculouse, from Latin ridiculosus "laughable," from ridiculus "that which excites laughter," from ridere "to laugh." Shakespeare and other 17c. writers sometimes spelled it rediculous. Slang extensions to "outrageous" (1839); "excellent" (1959, jazz slang). Related: Ridiculously; ridiculousness.

Idioms and Phrases with ridiculous

ridiculous

see: from the ridiculous to the sublime