ludicrous

adjective lu·di·crous \ˈlü-də-krəs\

: very foolish

Full Definition of LUDICROUS

: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity

: meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish

— lu·di·crous·ly adverb

— lu·di·crous·ness noun

See ludicrous defined for English-language learners

See ludicrous defined for kids

Examples of LUDICROUS

Some of this censorship is trivial, some is ludicrous, and some is breathtaking in its power to dumb down what children learn in school. —Diane Ravitch, The Language Police, 2003
The serious and the absurd have to be learnt together; but ludicrous theatrical buffoonery is fit only for foreigners. —Iris Murdoch, The Fire & the Sun, 1977
The girl didn't comment on the steepness, or the brambles, or the fact that it seemed ludicrous to cart furniture through an apparently endless forest. —Anne Tyler, The Clock Winder, 1972
Her teachers complained that instead of doing her sums she covered her slate with animals, the blank pages of her atlas were used to copy maps on, and caricatures of the most ludicrous description came fluttering out of all her books at unlucky moments. —Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868-69
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Origin of LUDICROUS

Latin ludicrus, from ludus play, sport; perhaps akin to Greek loidoros abusive

First Known Use: 1712

Related to LUDICROUS

Synonyms: antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic, humorous, hysterical (also hysteric), killing, laughable, funny, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious

Antonyms: humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical

Synonym Discussion of LUDICROUS

laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, comic, comical mean provoking laughter or mirth. laughable applies to anything occasioning laughter <laughable attempts at skating>. ludicrous suggests absurdity that excites both laughter and scorn <a thriller with a ludicrous plot>. ridiculous suggests extreme absurdity, foolishness, or contemptibility <a ridiculous display of anger>. comic applies especially to what arouses thoughtful amusement <a comic character>. comical applies to what arouses spontaneous hilarity <a comical hat>.

LUDICROUS Defined for Kids