ribald

[rib-uhld, rahy-buhld]

adjective

1. vulgar or indecent in speech, language, etc.; coarsely mocking, abusive, or irreverent; scurrilous.

   Synonyms: gross, obscene, indecent
   Antonyms: pure

noun

1. a ribald person.

ribald

/ ˈrɪbəld /

adjective

1. coarse, obscene, or licentious, usually in a humorous or mocking way

noun

1. a ribald person

Other Word Forms

• ribaldly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribald¹

1200–50; Middle English ribald, ribaud (noun) < Old French ribau ( l ) d, equivalent to rib ( er ) to be licentious (< Old High German rīben to copulate, be in heat, literally, rub) + -au ( l ) d, -alt < Frankish *-wald a suffix in personal names, derivative of *walden to rule; compare parallel development of -ard

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribald¹

C13: from Old French ribauld , from riber to live licentiously, of Germanic origin

Example Sentences

Bombastic, unrepentant, with a ribald sense of humor and a defense that leaned heavily into his desire to make Germany great again, Göring came out swinging.

From Los Angeles Times

Ratings for the 27th season of the irreverent and often ribald animated series have surged, according to data from Nielsen and Comedy Central.

From Los Angeles Times

Making her feature debut as writer-director, Annapurna Sriram also stars in ‘F—toys,” a ribald, campy journey as a young woman attempts to lift a curse placed on her.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether Gifford is throwing out ribald euphemisms or Kotb's inspirational quotes are being derailed, the show’s pure magnetism is obvious and unrivaled.

From Salon

But in an editorial in Tuesday's memorial edition, the paper's main shareholder said its spirit of ribald anti-religious irreverence was still very much alive.

From BBC

Related Words

• bawdy 
• coarse 
• foul-mouthed 
• lewd 
• naughty 
• off-color 
• racy 
• rude 
• sly