ludicrous

adjective

lu·​di·​crous ˈlü-də-krəs How to pronounce ludicrous (audio)
1
: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
2
: meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish
ludicrously adverb
ludicrousness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of ludicrous in a Sentence

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
the ludicrous sight of their teacher in a Halloween costume a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father's signature on a note to school
Recent Examples on the Web All of these guys are putting up statistically ludicrous numbers, with a slight edge to Jokic, SGA, and Luka for their efficiency and jaw-dropping advanced metrics. Esfandiar Baraheni, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Coleman Colla Los Angeles On second thought As one who utilizes the Metro E and A lines to Dodger Stadium, the gondola idea is ludicrous. Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ludicrous 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ludicrous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1712, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ludicrous was in 1712

Dictionary Entries Near ludicrous

Cite this Entry

“Ludicrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ludicrous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ludicrous

adjective
lu·​di·​crous ˈlüd-ə-krəs How to pronounce ludicrous (audio)
: laughable because of being ridiculous
ludicrously adverb
ludicrousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ludicrous

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