How would ridicule be a reasonable alternative to ridicule? If something is so absurd or ridiculous that it makes you laugh, you can call it ridiculous. Your little sister`s idea of dropping out of elementary school and opening a full-time soda stand may seem ridiculous to you. When would ridiculousness be a good substitute for ridicule? Your friend`s absurd plan to live in a tree all summer is ridiculous, and a politician`s proposal to build a wall around the entire country to keep immigrants out is also ridiculous. You can also use this adjective to simply mean « funny » or « provoke laughter. » Laughable comes from laughter, which has a root in Old English and was originally pronounced with a hard g sound. The pronunciation has changed, but the spelling has remained the same. In some situations, the words ridiculous and ridiculous are roughly equivalent. Ridiculous, however, applies to anything that leads to laughter. When is comics a more appropriate choice than ridiculous? When does it make sense to use funny instead of ridiculous? The meanings of comic and ridiculous largely overlap; Comics, however, apply above all to what evokes thoughtful amusement.