LAUGHINGSTOCK Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

laughingstock

noun

ˈla-fiŋ-ˌstäk

Definition of laughingstock

as in joke

a person or thing that is made fun of his nerdy clothes made him the laughingstock of the schoolyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of laughingstock Richmond became the laughingstock of the Premier League, and the players increasingly struggled with morale, even while their off-the-pitch bonds remained as strong as ever. — Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Aug. 2026 Harbaugh is doing this because the Giants currently are a laughingstock, an afterthought, one of the losingest franchises in the NFL for the bulk of the past decade. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026 The other—the New York Knicks—have gone from the NBA's laughingstock just a decade ago to NBA champion. — Robert Reiss, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 The fundamentalist movement became a national laughingstock. — Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for laughingstock

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughingstock

Noun

Its frothy, pastel hues and single moment of contrived levity (when one dance claims a trumpet solo for a joke about jamming her toe) is one of those quintessential examples of Balanchine’s repertoire showing its age.

— Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
And the Longhorns’ quarterback, Arch Manning, was the butt of the joke.

— Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of joke

Noun

Don’t let the building’s modern facade fool you, the rooms are minimalist yet warm with wood flooring, floral wallpaper, and hand-knotted rugs.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
In these labors, Carson is akin to two other recent laureates, Jon Fosse and László Krasznahorkai, our foremost writers of holy fools.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

laughing off

laughingstock

laughingstocks

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Laughingstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughingstock. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of laughingstock

noun

Example Sentences

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