ridiculous

ridiculous — adjective

1. Something that is ridiculous is so silly, strange, or impossible to believe that

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

Something that is ridiculous is so silly, strange, or impossible to believe that people laugh at it or think it is a bad idea.

Example

Anong felt ridiculous wearing a heavy winter coat under the hot summer sun.

feel + ridiculous + [situation/activity]

It is ridiculous to spend so much money on shoes you will wear only once.

it is ridiculous to + infinitive

Common collocations
  • absolutely ridiculous
  • utterly ridiculous
  • quite ridiculous
  • completely ridiculous
  • totally ridiculous
  • ridiculous idea
  • ridiculous price
  • ridiculous suggestion
  • ridiculous situation
  • ridiculous claim
  • ridiculous excuse
  • ridiculous waste
Synonyms
  • absurd

    Stronger emphasis on logical contradiction; slightly more formal.

  • laughable

    Focuses more on the reaction of laughing; less about being unreasonable.

  • silly

    Much milder; suggests childishness rather than strong disapproval.

  • preposterous

    Very formal; suggests something is so unreasonable it is shocking.

Antonyms
  • reasonable

    Opposite of unreasonable — based on good sense.

  • sensible

    Opposite of silly — showing good judgment.

  • logical

    Opposite of absurd — following clear reasoning.

Grammar Patterns

it + be + ridiculous + to-infinitive

subject + be + ridiculous

find + object + ridiculous

Usage Note

Frequently used in everyday conversation about prices, behaviour, ideas, and appearances. Stronger than silly but less formal than absurd. Common intensifiers include absolutely, utterly, completely, quite, and totally.

Common Mistakes

He was ridiculous by his classmates.
He was ridiculed by his classmates.
ridiculous is an adjective describing something laughable; to say someone was made fun of, use the verb ridicule.
The test was ridiculous difficult.
The test was ridiculously difficult.
Use the adverb ridiculously before an adjective, not the adjective ridiculous.
Idioms

from the sublime to the ridiculous

idiom

This phrase describes a change from something very good or serious to something very silly or bad.

The concert went from the sublime to the ridiculous when the singer fell.

Did the movie really go from the sublime to the ridiculous in the final scene?

Word family

  • ridicule
    verbB2
  • ridicule
    nounB2
  • ridiculously
    adverbB2
  • ridiculousness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that is not sensible, but they differ in strength and register. Silly is the mildest — it suggests childishness or a lack of serious thought ("a silly mistake"). Ridiculous adds a stronger sense of disapproval and the idea that others will laugh at it. Absurd focuses on logical contradiction: something that goes against common sense ("an absurd suggestion that everyone ignored"). Laughable emphasizes the mocking reaction — the thing is so bad or unlikely that people make fun of it. Preposterous is the strongest and most formal, used for something that is so unreasonable it almost seems unbelievable ("a preposterous claim that the earth is flat"). Use ridiculous for everyday situations; choose absurd or preposterous for more formal or serious contexts.

absurd ↗laughablesilly ↗preposterous

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Ridiculous comes from the Latin word ridiculus, meaning 'laughable' or 'funny', which itself comes from the verb ridere, meaning 'to laugh'. The word entered English in the mid-1500s through French (ridicule) and originally carried a stronger sense of something that provokes mockery. Over time its meaning softened to include unreasonable or foolish things that make people laugh without necessarily intending harm.