ludicrous
adjective
lu·di·crous ˈlü-də-krəs 
1
: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
2
: meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish
ludicrously adverb
ludicrousness noun
Synonyms
- antic
- chucklesome
- comedic
- comic
- comical
- droll
- farcical
- funny
- hilarious
- humoristic
- humorous
- hysterical
- hysteric
- killing
- laughable
- ridiculous
- riotous
- risible
- screaming
- sidesplitting
- uproarious
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Some of this censorship is trivial, some is ludicrous, and some is breathtaking in its power to dumb down what children learn in school. 
Diane Ravitch, The Language Police, 2003 The serious and the absurd have to be learnt together; but ludicrous theatrical buffoonery is fit only for foreigners. Iris Murdoch, The Fire & the Sun, 1977 The girl didn't comment on the steepness, or the brambles, or the fact that it seemed ludicrous to cart furniture through an apparently endless forest. Anne Tyler, The Clock Winder, 1972 Her teachers complained that instead of doing her sums she covered her slate with animals, the blank pages of her atlas were used to copy maps on, and caricatures of the most ludicrous description came fluttering out of all her books at unlucky moments. Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868-69 the ludicrous sight of their teacher in a Halloween costume a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father's signature on a note to school See More
Diane Ravitch, The Language Police, 2003 The serious and the absurd have to be learnt together; but ludicrous theatrical buffoonery is fit only for foreigners. Iris Murdoch, The Fire & the Sun, 1977 The girl didn't comment on the steepness, or the brambles, or the fact that it seemed ludicrous to cart furniture through an apparently endless forest. Anne Tyler, The Clock Winder, 1972 Her teachers complained that instead of doing her sums she covered her slate with animals, the blank pages of her atlas were used to copy maps on, and caricatures of the most ludicrous description came fluttering out of all her books at unlucky moments. Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868-69 the ludicrous sight of their teacher in a Halloween costume a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father's signature on a note to school See More Recent Examples on the Web The idea that the current, beleaguered system could handle an additional influx of children in need of protection is ludicrous. Ashoka, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022 To claim that this isn’t a successful showing for her would be ludicrous. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2022 Through the haze of running time and of occasional turns toward the ludicrous — Sepideh Moafi plays a law-enforcement officer whose flirty, charged relationship with Jimmy feels like wish-fulfillment — Egerton finds his way through. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 6 July 2022 There were also other memorable, ludicrous and surreal storylines. Scott Bryan, Variety, 22 June 2022 Just like Fukuyama’s early work, Rawls’s lofty, universalist ideas were bolstered by the United States’ fortunes and would have been ludicrous without them. Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 25 May 2022 As an actress now well-known for zingy one-liners and expansive anecdotes, Gilpin thrives on throwing herself under fire, criticizing both her laugh lines and the ludicrous frivolity of being an actor in a suffering universe. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 15 June 2022 Instead, the committee highlighted the ludicrous culture inside the Oval Office and underscored the absurdity of the Big Lie. Lorraine Alitelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022 Under most circumstances, researchers would need to subject an object to ludicrous accelerations—upward of 25 quintillion times the force of Earth’s gravity—in order to produce a measurable emission. Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 20 May 2022 See More
Ashoka, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022 To claim that this isn’t a successful showing for her would be ludicrous. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 9 Aug. 2022 Through the haze of running time and of occasional turns toward the ludicrous — Sepideh Moafi plays a law-enforcement officer whose flirty, charged relationship with Jimmy feels like wish-fulfillment — Egerton finds his way through. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 6 July 2022 There were also other memorable, ludicrous and surreal storylines. Scott Bryan, Variety, 22 June 2022 Just like Fukuyama’s early work, Rawls’s lofty, universalist ideas were bolstered by the United States’ fortunes and would have been ludicrous without them. Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 25 May 2022 As an actress now well-known for zingy one-liners and expansive anecdotes, Gilpin thrives on throwing herself under fire, criticizing both her laugh lines and the ludicrous frivolity of being an actor in a suffering universe. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 15 June 2022 Instead, the committee highlighted the ludicrous culture inside the Oval Office and underscored the absurdity of the Big Lie. Lorraine Alitelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022 Under most circumstances, researchers would need to subject an object to ludicrous accelerations—upward of 25 quintillion times the force of Earth’s gravity—in order to produce a measurable emission. Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 20 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin ludicrus, from ludus play, sport; perhaps akin to Greek loidoros abusive
First Known Use
1712, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
ludicrous
adjective
lu·di·crous ˈlü-də-krəs
: funny because of being ridiculous : absurd
a ludicrous idea
ludicrous
adjective
1
as in funny
causing or intended to cause laughter the ludicrous sight of their teacher in a Halloween costume Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- funny
- humorous
- ridiculous
- comedic
- amusing
- comical
- hysterical
- laughable
- comic
- farcical
- entertaining
- hilarious
- risible
- screaming
- hysteric
- uproarious
- droll
- riotous
- witty
- antic
- playful
- killing
- chucklesome
- sidesplitting
- humoristic
- zany
- clownish
- flippant
- diverting
- slapstick
- facetious
- merry
- laughing
- whimsical
- knockabout
- waggish
- jocular
- jokey
- flip
- slapsticky
- mad
- jolly
- gleeful
- wry
- campy
- rich
- priceless
- jovial
- smart
- mirthful
- pert
- jocose
- joky
- snickery
- jocund
- smart-alecky
- blithesome
- smart-aleck
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- lame
- unamusing
- unfunny
- serious
- humorless
- tragic
- solemn
- earnest
- severe
- sombre
- somber
- unhumorous
- tragical
- poignant
- unhysterical
- staid
- grave
- weighty
- sad
- sober
- sedate
- uncomic
- woeful
- unsmiling
- touching
- moving
- sobersided
- mournful
- affecting
- tearful
- sorrowful
- no-nonsense
- lachrymose
2
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father's signature on a note to school Synonyms & Similar Words
- ridiculous
- absurd
- silly
- pathetic
- foolish
- stupid
- unreasonable
- comical
- laughable
- preposterous
- farcical
- risible
- incredible
- irrational
- derisive
- insane
- dumb
- derisory
- crazy
- idiotic
- fantastical
- fantastic
- asinine
- inane
- nonsensical
- moronic
- cockamamie
- fatuous
- cockamamy
- mad
- unwise
- unbelievable
- imbecile
- daft
- inconceivable
- unreal
- unrealistic
- lunatic
- illogical
- harebrained
- witless
- for the birds
- loony
- wacky
- simpleminded
- screwball
- nutty
- imbecilic
- brainless
- jerky
- idiotical
- whacky
- kooky
- dotty
- daffy
- senseless
- half-baked
- far-fetched
- cuckoo
- looney
- half-witted
- weak-minded
- kookie
- cockeyed
- balmy
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- serious
- reasonable
- solemn
- earnest
- realistic
- logical
- conceivable
- sensible
- credible
- rational
- believable
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of ludicrous are comical, comic, laughable, and ridiculous. While all these words mean "provoking laughter or mirth," ludicrous suggests absurdity that excites both laughter and scorn.
a thriller with a ludicrous plot
While the synonyms comic and ludicrous are close in meaning, comic applies especially to what arouses thoughtful amusement.
a comic character
In some situations, the words comical and ludicrous are roughly equivalent. However, comical applies to what arouses spontaneous hilarity.
a comical hat
The meanings of laughable and ludicrous largely overlap; however, laughable applies to anything occasioning laughter.
laughable attempts at skating
The synonyms ridiculous and ludicrous are sometimes interchangeable, but ridiculous suggests extreme absurdity, foolishness, or contemptibility.
a ridiculous display of anger