SKIP TO CONTENT

ribaldry

Other forms: ribaldries

Ribaldry is a kind of humor that's slightly inappropriate or off-color. You might want to keep your friends' ribaldry in check if your sweet old grandmother suddenly shows up at your house.

When people tell bawdy or vulgar jokes (like bathroom humor, or jokes about sex), that's ribaldry. Imagine a rowdy sailors' bar or even a scene in a Shakespeare comedy, and there's bound to be some ribaldry. This noun comes to us by way of the adjective ribald, "bawdy or lewd," from the Old French ribaut, "rogue or scoundrel."

Definitions of ribaldry
  1. noun
    ribald humor
    see moresee less
    type of:
    humor, humour, wit, witticism, wittiness
    a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
  2. noun
    behavior or language bordering on indelicacy
    see moresee less
    type of:
    indelicacy
    the trait of being indelicate and offensive
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘ribaldry'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family