Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Ridicule for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Ridicule" — noun, pronounced /ˈrɪdɪkjuːl/, with the stress on "rid".
Narrator: Ridicule is unkind words or laughter that make someone or something look silly.
Narrator: In plain English, it is mocking.
Narrator: It comes from the Latin ridiculum, a joke, from ridere, to laugh.
Narrator: A common collocation is "an object of ridicule", which describes someone everyone laughs at.
Narrator: It differs from "teasing", because teasing can be friendly, while ridicule is meant to humiliate.
Narrator: In a second sense, ridicule is also a verb, to ridicule an idea.
Narrator: Politics, satire, psychology and schools all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: ridicule laughs at, not with.
Speaker A: Why did the inventor keep his idea secret?
Speaker B: He feared RIDICULE! It comes from Latin for laughing.
Speaker A: Did people laugh?
Speaker B: Until it made millions.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The plan was met with ridicule", politics. "Don't ridicule other pupils", school. "Satire uses ridicule to criticise power", literature.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Spell it with "-cule", not "-cool", and "ridiculous" with an "i", not "rediculous".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Mockery is its cousin, scorn its twin, and derision an alternative — yet ridicule keeps its biting charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "ridicule" in AI prompts — useful for moderation and satire.
Speaker A: How for moderation?
Speaker B: Protect users.
Prompt: Flag comments that ridicule someone’s appearance or disability.
Speaker A: And satire?
Speaker B: Aim upwards.
Prompt: Write a gentle satirical paragraph that uses ridicule against red tape, not people.
Speaker A: Could it help schools?
Speaker B: Yes, for policies.
Prompt: Write an anti-bullying rule that bans ridicule and explains why.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Psychology.
Prompt: Explain how fear of ridicule stops people sharing ideas at work.
Ridicule — meaning in Arabic & definition More R courses GL Dictionary