Ridiculously

How to spell ridiculously

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce ridiculously

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ridiculously mean?

1. adverbTo an absurd or unreasonable degree; in a way that invites scorn or laughter.

Ridiculously in a sentence

• The hotel charged a ridiculously high price for a small room.

• The instructions were ridiculously complicated for such a simple task.

Where does ridiculously come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb ridere, which simply meant 'to laugh'. From that verb Latin formed the adjective ridiculus, meaning 'laughable' or 'absurd', literally describing something worthy of being laughed at. English borrowed the adjective 'ridiculous' in the sixteenth century, and the adverb 'ridiculously' followed naturally by adding the familiar -ly ending. The same ridere root sits behind 'deride' (to laugh down at someone) and 'risible' (provoking laughter), so the family is full of laughter. The spelling trap lives in the unstressed middle: writers often hear 'ridic-yoo-lus-ly' and are unsure of the second 'i' and the 'cul' rather than 'cle', even though the stack of three suffixes (-ous plus -ly) is perfectly regular once you see the parts.

How the word is built

• ridicul- (from Latin ridiculus: laughable)
• -ous (full of, characterised by)
• -ly (adverb suffix)