ridicule
noun /ˈrɪdɪkjuːl/
/ˈrɪdɪkjuːl/
[uncountable]- unkind comments that make fun of somebody/something or make them look silly synonym mockery
- She is an object of ridicule in the tabloid newspapers.
- to hold somebody up to ridicule (= make fun of somebody publicly)
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc1- The president was becoming an object of ridicule.
- He did not want to be identified, fearing the ridicule of his friends.
- She might find herself exposed to public ridicule.
- She soon became an object of ridicule.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- public
- attract
- receive
- expose somebody/something to
- …
- an object of ridicule
- a target for ridicule
- a target of ridicule
- …
Word Originlate 17th cent.: from French, or from Latin ridiculum, neuter (used as a noun) of ridiculus ‘laughable’, from ridere ‘to laugh’.