ribald
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ribald
1200–50; Middle English ribald, ribaud (noun) < Old French ribau ( l ) d, equivalent to rib ( er ) to be licentious (< Old High German rīben to copulate, be in heat, literally, rub) + -au ( l ) d, -alt < Frankish *-wald a suffix in personal names, derivative of *walden to rule; compare parallel development of -ard
Explanation
Something ribald is funny, but in a vulgar or off-color way. If someone makes a ribald joke in class, she will probably be sent to the principal's office. The word ribald can be used to describe a joke, a movie, or even a person, like a ribald comedian on a late-night talk show. Ribald humor is generally considered to be inappropriate around children, and if you make a ribald comment, you might inadvertently offend someone. This word derives from an Old French word meaning "rogue" or "debauched."
Vocabulary lists containing ribald
Dracula
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The Killer Angels
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A Dance with Dragons
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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.
Disorderly in its construction, “Tristram Shandy” is ribald and risqué in its content, yet charitable and affecting in tone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
But in an editorial in Tuesday's memorial edition, the paper's main shareholder said its spirit of ribald anti-religious irreverence was still very much alive.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025
Lou, conversely, was the toast of the town: an institution-building entrepreneur and voluble drinking buddy known for wearing loud turtlenecks, cracking ribald jokes and eating like a barn animal.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
It’s also doubtful that the ribald humor of H.L.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2024
On the surface, it was a ribald little tune about a donkey who wanted to be an arcanist.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
