Synonyms

ludicrous

American

[loo-di-kruhs] / ˈlu dɪ krəs /

adjective

causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable.

a ludicrous lack of efficiency.

Synonyms:

farcical

ludicrous British

/ ˈluːdɪkrəs /

adjective

absurd or incongruous to the point of provoking ridicule or laughter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See funny ¹.

Other Word Forms

ludicrously adverb
ludicrousness noun
unludicrous adjective
unludicrously adverb
unludicrousness noun

Etymology

Origin of ludicrous

1610–20; from Latin lūdicrus “sportive,” equivalent to lūdicr(um) “a show, public games” ( lūdi-, stem of lūdere “to play” + -crum noun suffix of instrument or result) + -us -ous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The notion that State Parks favors plants over people is ludicrous,” a spokesperson for California State Parks said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

It may seem ludicrous to risk a fast bowler with the injury history of a crash-test dummy when his first attempt at cricket in whites for 15 months resulted in a trip to hospital.

From BBC

Joe Bennett, Lindsay's son, described the charges against them as "ludicrous".

From BBC

At its core, Smith’s collection is glamorous, albeit unrealistic and ludicrous — much like Smith’s own social media content.

From Salon

This is a ludicrous way to run the air transportation system of any country, much less the richest and most powerful one in the history of the planet.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023