ridicule

[ rid-i-kyool ]
/ ˈrɪd ɪˌkyul /

noun

speech or action intended to cause contemptuous laughter at a person or thing; derision.

verb (used with object), rid·i·culed, rid·i·cul·ing.

to deride; make fun of.

Origin of ridicule

1665–75; < Latin rīdiculum a joke, equivalent to rīd(ēre) to laugh + -i- -i- + -culum -cule2

SYNONYMS FOR ridicule

2 banter, chaff, rally, twit, burlesque, satirize, lampoon. Ridicule, deride, mock, taunt imply making game of a person, usually in an unkind, jeering way. To ridicule is to make fun of, either sportively and good-humoredly, or unkindly with the intention of humiliating: to ridicule a pretentious person. To deride is to assail one with scornful laughter: to deride a statement of belief. To mock is sometimes playfully, sometimes insultingly, to imitate and caricature the appearance or actions of another: She mocked the seriousness of his expression. To taunt is to call attention to something annoying or humiliating, usually maliciously and exultingly and often in the presence of others: to taunt a candidate about his defeat in an election.

OTHER WORDS FROM ridicule

rid·i·cul·er, noun self-rid·i·cule, noun un·rid·i·culed, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for ridicule

British Dictionary definitions for ridicule

ridicule
/ (ˈrɪdɪˌkjuːl) /

noun

language or behaviour intended to humiliate or mock; derision

verb

(tr) to make fun of, mock, or deride

Derived forms of ridicule

ridiculer, noun

Word Origin for ridicule

C17: from French, from Latin rīdiculus, from rīdēre to laugh