Ribald: Definition & Meaning for the SAT 😜
Shakespeare would get canceled on social media today; his plays are full of RIBALD jokes that English teachers avoid explaining!
Hey there, vocabulary champions!
Today we're learning a word that's been making audiences laugh (and sometimes cringe) since Chaucer's time. (I first encountered it in a literature class in college.) This spicy vocabulary word gets a difficulty rating of 4 out of 5.
ℹ️ Part of speech of ribald
ribald is an ADJECTIVE.
🗣️ Pronunciation of ribald
ribald is pronounced /ˈrɪb.əld/ or RIB-uhld.
📚️ Definition of ribald
ribald means crude, offensive, or vulgar in a humorous way, especially concerning matters of sex.
📰 Examples
Here are some examples of ribald:
The stand-up comedian's ribald humor made half the audience roar with laughter while the other half walked out in protest.
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales contains numerous ribald stories that medieval audiences found hilarious, but modern readers might find shocking (if they understood the writing).
During the office holiday party, Marcus deftly steered the conversation away from his colleague's increasingly ribald jokes.
🧠 Quick vocab quiz on ribald and past SAT words
Test yourself!
1. Ribald humor is most similar to
A) sophisticated wit
B) dry sarcasm
C) bawdy comedy
D) gentle teasing
E) intellectual wordplay
2. Which situation best exemplifies ribald content?
A) A professor's lecture on quantum physics
B) A children's cartoon about friendly dinosaurs
C) A philosophical debate about ethics
D) A nature documentary about penguins
E) A comedy club routine full of risqué jokes
3. Obverse most nearly means:
A) reverse
B) inverse
C) front side
D) opposite
E) converse
💁🏼 Tips on using the word ribald correctly
Be careful with this word! While ribald humor has its place in comedy clubs and certain literary works, it's generally considered inappropriate for formal or professional settings. Fun fact: Some of Shakespeare's most ribald jokes are often cleaned up in modern translations - for example, many of the crude jokes in Romeo and Juliet are delivered by Mercutio.
✅ Quiz answer/s
Answers:
C, bawdy comedy
E, a comedy club routine full of risqué jokes
C, front side
That's all for today's SAT word! Keep studying, and I'll see you in the next email!