Crossword clues for ridiculous
ridiculous
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Ridiculous \Ri*dic"u*lous\, a. [L. ridiculosus, ridiculus, fr. ridere to laigh. Cf. Risible.]
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Fitted to excite ridicule; absurd and laughable; unworthy of serious consideration; as, a ridiculous dress or behavior.
Agricola, discerning that those little targets and unwieldy glaives ill pointed would soon become ridiculous against the thrust and close, commanded three Batavian cohorts . . . to draw up and come to handy strokes.
--Milton. -
Involving or expressing ridicule. [R.]
[It] provokes me to ridiculous smiling.
--Shak.Syn: Ludicrous; laughable; risible; droll; comical; absurd; preposterous. See Ludicrous. [1913 Webster]
--- Ri*dic"u*lous*ly, adv. -- Ri*dic"u*lous*ness, n.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1540s, ridyculouse, from Latin ridiculosus "laughable," from ridiculus "that which excites laughter," from ridere "to laugh." Shakespeare and other 17c. writers sometimes spelled it rediculous. Slang extensions to "outrageous" (1839); "excellent" (1959, jazz slang). Related: Ridiculously; ridiculousness.
Wiktionary
a. Deserving of ridicule; foolish; absurd.
WordNet
adj. inspiring scornful pity; "how silly an ardent and unsuccessful wooer can be especially if he is getting on in years"- Dashiell Hammett [syn: pathetic, silly]
completely devoid of wisdom or good sense; "the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework"; "that's a cockeyed idea"; "ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer"; "a contribution so small as to be laughable"; "it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion"; "a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history"; "her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous" [syn: absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, ludicrous, nonsensical, preposterous]
broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce; "the wild farcical exuberance of a clown"; "ludicrous green hair" [syn: farcical, ludicrous]
Wikipedia
Ridiculous is an album by the British new wave group Squeeze. It was the band's eleventh studio album, and it introduced their latest drummer Kevin Wilkinson (no relation to bassist Keith Wilkinson). As on the previous album, Some Fantastic Place, the band recorded one song penned by Keith Wilkinson. This time, however, Wilkinson did not perform the lead vocals. That song, "Got to Me", is the last Wilkinson would write with Squeeze. Chris Difford sang lead on two songs, "Long Face" and "Fingertips". He had not performed lead on an album cut since "Slaughtered, Gutted and Heartbroken" and " Love Circles" on the 1989 album Frank. This record was produced by Glenn Tilbrook and Peter Smith.
The album spent one week at number 50 in the UK Albums Chart.
The Ridiculous is that which is highly incongruous or inferior.
Ridiculous may also refer to:
- Ridiculous (album), an album by the British New Wave group Squeeze
- Ridiculous (DJ Drama song), a song by the artist DJ Drama from the album Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)
- "Ridiculous", a song by P.O.D. from Satellite
Ridiculousness may also refer to:
- Ridiculousness (TV series), a television series on MTV hosted by Rob Dyrdek
The ridiculous is that which is highly incongruous or inferior, sometimes deliberately so to make people laugh or get their attention, and sometimes unintended so as to be considered laughable and earn or provoke ridicule and derision. It comes from the 1540s Latino "ridiculosus" meaning "laughable", from "ridiculus" meaning "that which excites laughter", and from "ridere" meaning "to laugh". "Ridiculous" is an adjective describing "the ridiculous".
In common usage, "ridiculousness" is used as a synonym for absurdity or nonsense. From a historical and technical viewpoint, "absurdity" is associated with invalid argumentation and reasoning, "nonsense" with semantics and meaning, while "ridiculous" is most associated with laughter, superiority, deformity, and incongruity. Reductio ad absurdum is a valid method of argument, while reductio ad ridiculum is invalid. Argument by invective declaration of ridiculous is invalid, while arguments involving declarations of nonsense may summarize a cogent semantic problem with lack or meaning or ambiguity.
Historically, the ridiculous was central to initial theories of humor and laughter as first put forth by philosopher Thomas Hobbes. It was used in psychosocial power struggles in the European court by reducing opponents to the ridiculous using ridicule. It is currently used in the theory of humor to create laughter, shock, parody, or satire. Reactions to the ridiculous have been studied in psychology for its effects on memory, attention, and attitude in social hierarchies. These studies have been applied to the theory of advertisement regarding attention, memory, and alleviation of preexisting negative attitudes toward products. The ridiculous is often contrasted with the sublime, one of extreme inferiority, the other of extreme superiority, and often one can suddenly move from one extreme state to the other.
Usage examples of "ridiculous".
As if to demonstrate afresh how ridiculous Korea was, the aerologist appeared with the midnight weather reports from Siberia and China.
So much belief, so much authority seemed to have been invested by the builders in these primitive, faceless idols, guardians of the blithe, naked Ama girls, that Bond had a ridiculous urge to kneel and ask for their blessing as the Crusaders had once done before their God.
I take my seat on a step of the stairs above the araucaria and, resting awhile with folded hands, I contemplate this little garden of order and let the touching air it has and its somewhat ridiculous loneliness move me to the depths of my soul.
But it seems ridiculous that after being baptized, adults who can stand up of themselves and leave the sacred font, should be held up by another.
The beadle, though generally understood in the neighbourhood to be a ridiculous institution, is not without a certain popularity for the moment, if it were only as a man who is going to see the body.
Fast two-legged creatures must necessarily perform in similar ways, however ridiculous a man may appear when behaving as a kangaroo.
Even slight pregnancy always made women look ridiculous and she would look more so when she put the bikini on again.
The hurrying passengers smiled at this spectacle at once so ridiculous and so pathetic, but good-naturedly made way for the old men, while Bim, sharing the general excitement, barked and danced about, until his chain was entangled with the legs of at least half a dozen persons at once.
A ridiculous or postured artificiality would ruin the impact, and he advises them strongly against bombastic overacting.
But even I am forced to admit that they are a ridiculous people, just as one must confess that the British are bungling, the Italians incompetent, the Americans neurotic, the Germans romantically savage, the Arabs vicious, the Russians barbaric, and the Dutch make cheese.
Ridiculous rumors whispered across a café table and set adrift in the clouded brain of a Turkish policeman lazily puffing hashish, dimly trying to focus his eyes on the crotch of a serving-boy across the way.
Patrick was comfortably unaware of the ridiculous figure he presented in the pink pants and matching calamine lotion.
Now if only he could figure out what to do with the elaborate fall of capelets, the ridiculous rapier, and the ludicrous confection of silk, fur trim, sequins, and feathers which shared some distant ancestor with a Bernithian Highland bonnet.
This always made Chia feel sorry for him, which she knew was ridiculous.
I wish here only to draw attention to the fact that all holons possess a degree of depth, with its correlative rights, existing in a span with correlative responsibilities, and that as our own awareness evolves to greater depth itself, it more adequately unpacks the Basic Moral Intuition, which infuses us with an awareness, and a drive, and a demand, to extend the greatest depth to the greatest span, as best we can under the ridiculous circumstances known as samsara.