4 syllables: Ri, dic, u, lous. Stress on dic.
rid-IK-yuh-luhs
/ɹɪˈdɪkjələs/
Ridiculous is pronounced rid-IK-yuh-luhs (/ɹɪˈdɪkjələs/). It has four syllables (Ri-dic-u-lous), with the stress on "dic". Ridiculous is an adjective describing something is extremely unreasonable, silly, or hard to believe. It conveys strong judgment or disbelief and often carries a playful or exaggerated tone. The word typically functions to intensify praise or criticism depending on context, and is used in casual and informal speech.
adjectiveRidiculous is an adjective describing something is extremely unreasonable, silly, or hard to believe. It conveys strong judgment or disbelief and often carries a playful or exaggerated tone. The word typically functions to intensify praise or criticism depending on context, and is used in casual and informal speech.
"The price she paid for the sneakers is ridiculous."
"His excuse for missing the meeting was simply ridiculous."
"That outfit looks ridiculous but in a fun way."
Rhymes with many words: /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ in US; UK often /rɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/. Primary stress on the second syllable: ri-DI-cu-lous. Mouth position: start with a short, lax 'ri' /ɹɪ/ then a crisp /ˈdɪk/ with the tongue at a high-front position, followed by /jə/ (yuh) transitioning into /ləs/ with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge. The final '-ous' is pronounced as /-əs/ or /-əs/ with a light schwa before the s.
Common errors include stressing the wrong syllable (putting stress on 'ri-'), reducing the middle /dɪk/ to a weak vowel, or mispronouncing the final /ləs/ as /lous/. Correct by marking stress on the second syllable: ri-DI-cu-lous, ensure /ˈdɪk/ is modal and crisp, and end with alveolar /l/ followed by a clear /əs/ with a light, quick 's'.
US: /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ with a rhotic /ɹ/ and a clearer /ə/ after /j/. UK: /rɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ often with non-rhotic /r/ and slightly shorter /ə/; the /j/ remains clear. AU: /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ similar to US, but with a flatter intonation and sometimes a longer vowel in the first syllable depending on speaker. Across all, the tonic syllable remains on /ˈdɪk/; the /l/ is light, and the final /əs/ is unstressed.
Because it blends a cluster /dɪk/ after an initial /ɹ/ and a tense syllable boundary before /jə/ and /ləs/. The middle /dɪk/ can cause a subtle vowel shift or consonant omission under fast speech, and the final /əs/ may devoice in rapid speech. Practicing per-syllable articulation—/ɹɪ/ /ˈdɪk/ /jə/ /ləs/—helps maintain clarity and reduce slurring.
A unique feature is the strong secondary quality on the /ɪ/ in the second syllable and the rapid transition into /jə/ before the /l/; many learners misplace the tongue for /j/ and mush the /l/ with the following /əs/. Emphasize the crisp /dɪk/ and keep the /j/ as a distinct semivowel before the final /ləs/.
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Ridiculous comes from Latin ridiculus, meaning ‘worthy of laughter,’ itself from ridere ‘to laugh’. The Latin ridiculus evolved through Old French ridicule and Middle French ridicule, transferring into English by the 16th century. Initially, ridicule described things that were laughable in a scornful sense, often tied to social critique or mockery. Over time its meaning broadened from simply causing laughter to conveying an extreme degree of absurdity or contempt, such that something could be ‘ridiculous’ not only for being funny but for being wildly inappropriate or implausible. In modern usage, ridiculous frequently marks strong subjective reaction, sometimes playful and sometimes critical, reinforcing its role as an intensifier in casual discourse. Etymology highlights the root rid- from Latin ridere, underscoring a core association with laughter and social perception of oddity or folly. The word has retained this core sense across centuries, adapting to contemporary registers while preserving its core emotional charge. Its trajectory mirrors many evaluative adjectives derived from laughter that shift from descriptive to evaluative intensifiers with cultural nuance.
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Words that rhyme with "Ridiculous"
-ous sounds
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