Mocked or made fun of someone in a cruel way, making them seem stupid or worthy of laughter.
From Latin 'ridiculus,' meaning 'laughable,' derived from 'ridere,' meaning 'to laugh.' The term entered English in the 17th century with its sense of contemptuous laughter, initially used more formally before becoming common in everyday speech.
Ridicule is actually a powerful social tool that evolution designed into our brains—groups use mockery to enforce social norms and punish those who deviate, which is why being ridiculed hurts more than physical pain in brain scans. Studies show that public ridicule can actually change people's behavior faster than any rational argument, which is why it's both incredibly effective and incredibly dangerous as a social force.
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