different between ludicrous vs droll

English

Etymology

First attested in 1619. From Latin l?dicrus, from l?d? (“play”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?lu?.d?.k??s/, /?lju?.d?.k??s/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?lu?.d?.k??s/

Adjective

ludicrous (comparative more ludicrous, superlative most ludicrous)

1. Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny.

2. Amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.
   • 2014, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October 2014:

     Five minutes later, Southampton tried to mount their first attack, but Wickham sabotaged the move by tripping the rampaging Nathaniel Clyne, prompting the referee, Andre Marriner, to issue a yellow card. That was a lone blemish on an otherwise tidy start by Poyet’s team – until, that is, the 12th minute, when Vergini produced a candidate for the most ludicrous own goal in Premier League history.

Synonyms

• (idiotic or unthinkable): laughable, ridiculous, risible

Related terms

• (idiotic or unthinkable): ludicrously, ludicrousness

Translations

English

Etymology

From French drôle (“comical, odd, funny”), from drôle (“buffoon”) from Middle French drolle (“a merry fellow, pleasant rascal”) from Old French drolle (“one who lives luxuriously”), from Middle Dutch drol (“fat little man, goblin”) from Old Norse troll (“giant, troll”) (compare Middle High German trolle (“clown”)), from Proto-Germanic *truzl? (“creature which walks clumsily”), from *truzlan? (“to walk with short steps”). Doublet of troll.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d???l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d?o?l/
• Rhymes: -??l

Adjective

droll (comparative droller, superlative drollest)

1. Oddly humorous; whimsical, amusing in a quaint way; waggish.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:witty

Derived terms

• drollery
• drollness
• drolly

Translations

Noun

droll (plural drolls)

1. (archaic) A funny person; a buffoon, a wag.
   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, vol I, ch. 34:

     The lieutenant was a droll in his way, Peregrine possessed a great fund of sprightliness and good humour, and Godfrey, among his other qualifications already recited, sung a most excellent song […] .

Verb

droll (third-person singular simple present drolls, present participle drolling, simple past and past participle drolled)

1. (archaic) To jest, to joke.

Anagrams

• roll'd

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tr?tl/
• Rhymes: -?tl

Noun

droll n (genitive singular drolls, no plural)

1. dawdling, loitering

Declension

Related terms

• drolla