American English
/ˈɹɪ.ɾəkˌju.lɪŋ/
4 syllables · Stress the first syllable.
Related entry: ridicule
To make someone or something seem foolish by laughing at them or copying them in an unkind way.
Practice out loudTo make someone or something seem foolish by laughing at them or copying them in an unkind way.
The other students ridiculed him for his mistake.
The article ridiculed the mayor's plan.
Ridicule is stronger than simply laugh at: it means trying to make someone look foolish.
publicly ridicule someone · ridicule an idea · ridicule someone for a mistake
ridicule + someone/something
ridicule + someone + for + noun/-ing
Unkind laughter or comments that make a person, idea, or thing seem foolish.
She faced ridicule after the video went viral.
His accent became a source of ridicule.
For this meaning, say public ridicule, not a ridicule.
public ridicule · face ridicule · subject to ridicule
be + an object of ridicule
face + ridicule
To make someone a target of public mockery.
The cartoon held the senator up to ridicule.
A person or thing that people laugh at unkindly.
He became the object of ridicule at school.
The final e disappears before -ing: ridiculing.