Ludicrousness

Ludicrousness
Ludicrous Lu"di*crous, a. [L. ludicrus, or ludicer, from ludus play, sport, fr. ludere to play.] 1. Adapted to excite laughter, without scorn or contempt; sportive. --Broome. [1913 Webster]

A chapter upon German rhetoric would be in the same ludicrous predicament as Van Troil's chapter on the snakes of Iceland, which delivers its business in one summary sentence, announcing, that snakes in Iceland -- there are none. --De Quincey.

2. Ridiculously absurd. [PJC]

Syn: Laughable; sportive; burlesque; comic; droll; ridiculous.

Usage: {Ludicrous}, {Laughable}, {Ridiculous}. We speak of a thing as ludicrous when it tends to produce laughter; as laughable when the impression is somewhat stronger; as ridiculous when more or less contempt is mingled with the merriment created. -- {Lu"di*crous*ly}, adv. -- {Lu"di*crous*ness}, n. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • ludicrousness — index incongruity, inexpedience Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • ludicrousness — noun The state or quality of being ludicrous. The full ludicrousness of the thing dawned upon me so forcibly that I forgot all about my excitement and scare, and laughed aloud. Syn: laughableness …   Wiktionary

  • ludicrousness — ludicrous ► ADJECTIVE ▪ absurd; ridiculous. DERIVATIVES ludicrously adverb ludicrousness noun. ORIGIN Latin ludicrus, probably from ludicrum stage play …   English terms dictionary

  • ludicrousness — noun see ludicrous …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ludicrousness — See ludicrously. * * * …   Universalium

  • ludicrousness — (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun The quality of being laughable or comical: comedy, comicality, comicalness, drollery, drollness, farcicality, funniness, humor, humorousness, jocoseness, jocosity, jocularity, ridiculousness, wit, wittiness, zamness.… …   English dictionary for students

  • ludicrousness — n. absurdness, ridiculousness …   English contemporary dictionary

  • ludicrousness — lu·di·crous·ness …   English syllables

  • ludicrousness — noun ( es) : the quality or state of being ludicrous …   Useful english dictionary

  • ludicrous — adjective Etymology: Latin ludicrus, from ludus play, sport; perhaps akin to Greek loidoros abusive Date: 1712 1. amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity 2. meriting derisive laughter or scorn as …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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