ridiculous
gb/ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/ us/ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/
B1
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
Extremely silly or unreasonable
Very silly or not sensible at all.
Usage pattern:
[something] is ridiculous
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'ridiculous' with 'funny'. While something ridiculous can be funny, it also often means it is unreasonable or silly in a bad way.
Synonyms
absurd (Slightly more formal; often used in serious contexts.)
|
preposterous (More formal and stronger in tone, often used for emphasis.)
Antonyms
reasonable (Implies being fair, sensible, and logical.)
|
sensible (Implies practicality and sound judgment.)
Collocations
absolutely ridiculous
|look ridiculous
|sound ridiculous
|ridiculous idea
|ridiculous price
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The price of that handbag is absolutely ridiculous.
- He looked ridiculous wearing that oversized hat.
- It's ridiculous to drive there when it's only a five-minute walk.
- The idea that the earth is flat is completely ridiculous.
- She gave me a ridiculous excuse for being late.
Learner examples
- That shirt looks ridiculous on him.
- It is ridiculous to pay so much for coffee.
- Her story was ridiculous and not true.
- The movie was funny but also ridiculous.
Grammar
Dictionary form
ridiculous
IPA
GB/ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/
US/ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/
Syllables & stress
ri - dicu - lous (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (dicu)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: ridiculous
Word family
Core family
ridiculously
adverb
ridicule
noun B2
Related words
ridiculousness
noun
Expressions
look ridiculous
1/lˈʊk ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/
fixed phrase
Appear silly or unreasonable
To look very silly or not sensible to other people.
Examples
- He looked ridiculous in that clown costume.
- You’ll look ridiculous if you wear sandals in the snow.
make someone look ridiculous
1/mˈeɪk sˈʌmwˌʌn lˈʊk ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/
fixed phrase
Cause someone to appear silly
To do something that makes another person look very silly to other people.
Examples
- The prank made him look ridiculous in front of his friends.
- She was worried the mistake would make her look ridiculous at work.
sound ridiculous
1/sˈaʊnd ɹɪdˈɪkjələs/
fixed phrase
Seem silly or unreasonable when said
To seem very silly or not sensible when you say it or hear it.
Examples
- It may sound ridiculous, but I think we can finish this in one day.
- The idea sounded ridiculous at first, but it actually worked.