ludicrous means idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.
ludicrous is pronounced /ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/.
Why “ludicrous” is a great word
Amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity. From the Latin lūdicrus (“sportive, playful”), from lūdus (“play, game, sport”), first attested in English in 1619. Unlike “ridiculous,” which invites a jeer, or “preposterous,” which provokes a righteous scoff, ludicrous seeks only the quick, sharp intake of a laugh. It is the sight of a grown man in a squirrel costume solemnly conducting traffic, the logic of a dream where one pays rent in acorns, or the sheer, gaudy scale of a palace built entirely of playing cards—a brief testament to the fact that the world’s deepest truths often wear the garb of a joke.
adj
- Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.e.g.“He made a ludicrous attempt to run for office.”