ridicule
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To criticize or disapprove of someone or something through scornful jocularity.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
riduhkyoolSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹɪdəkjul
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To criticize or disapprove of someone or something through scornful jocularity; to make fun of.
noun
Derision; mocking or humiliating words or behavior.
An object of sport or laughter; a laughing stock.
The quality of being ridiculous; ridiculousness.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Derision; mocking or humiliating words or behavior.
Used this way, ridicule is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use ridicule
- “The satirists ridiculed the plans for a new opera house.”verb
Share your sentence
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “ridicule” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.