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Definition of ridicule noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ridicule

noun
 
/ˈrɪdɪkjuːl/
 
/ˈrɪdɪkjuːl/
[uncountable]
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  1. 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 Examples
    • 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.
    Topics Personal qualitiesc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • public
    verb + ridicule
    • attract
    • receive
    • expose somebody/​something to
    phrases
    • an object of ridicule
    • a target for ridicule
    • a target of ridicule
    See full entry
    Word Originlate 17th cent.: from French, or from Latin ridiculum, neuter (used as a noun) of ridiculus ‘laughable’, from ridere ‘to laugh’.
See ridicule in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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