Standard Lemma guide

ludicrous

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈljuː.dɪ.kɹəs/
  • US: /ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: L UW1 D AH0 K R AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He made a ludicrous attempt to run for office.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: laughable, ridiculous, risible

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the wild farcical exuberance of a clown
  • ludicrous green hair

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: farcical, ridiculous

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

incongruous;inviting ridicule

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework
  • that's a cockeyed idea
  • ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer
  • a contribution so small as to be laughable
  • it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion
  • a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history
  • her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: absurd, cockeyed, derisory, idiotic, laughable, nonsensical, preposterous, ridiculous

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lūdicrus. First attested in 1619.

Across languages

Translations

58 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: нелеп (nelep) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Bulgarian: смехотворен (smehotvoren) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Catalan: ridícul — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Chinese Mandarin: 滑稽的 (huájī de) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Chinese Mandarin: 荒唐的 (huāngtáng de) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Cornish: hwarthus — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Czech: směšný — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Czech: absurdní — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Finnish: älytön — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Finnish: absurdi — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Finnish: järjetön — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Finnish: idioottimainen — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Finnish: naurettava — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Finnish: huvittava — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • French: absurde — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Galician: ridículo — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • German: aberwitzig — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • German: absurd — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • German: lächerlich — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Greek: σαχλός (sachlós) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Greek: γελοίος (geloíos) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Ancient Greek: γελοῖος (geloîos) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Hebrew: מגוחך (megoḥaḥ) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Hindi: हास्यास्पद (hāsyāspad) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Hungarian: nevetséges — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Indonesian: konyol — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Italian: ridicolo — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Māori: nenekara — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Māori: kūrapa — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Norwegian Bokmål: latterlig — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Plautdietsch: lachrich — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Polish: idiotyczny — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Polish: niedorzeczny — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Polish: absurdalny — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Polish: groteskowy — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Polish: bezsensowny — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Portuguese: ridículo — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Romanian: absurd — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Romanian: ridicol — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Russian: неле́пый (nelépyj) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Russian: абсу́рдный (absúrdnyj) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Russian: смехотво́рный (smexotvórnyj) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Scottish Gaelic: amaideach — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Slovak: absurdný — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Slovak: chorý — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Spanish: disparatado — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Spanish: descabellado — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Spanish: lúdicro — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Spanish: desmesurado — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Spanish: desmedido — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Swedish: löjlig — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Swedish: skrattretande — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Swedish: absurd — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Ukrainian: смішни́й (smišnýj) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Ukrainian: куме́дний (kumédnyj) — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Welsh: digrif — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Welsh: chwerthinllyd — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny
  • Welsh: ysmala — idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny