laughingstock

noun

ˈla-fiŋ-ˌstäk How to pronounce laughingstock (audio)
Definition of laughingstocknext
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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 East could be a gauntlet in ’26-27 A perennial laughingstock compared to the Western Conference, the East should be fun and fierce next season. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 19 May 2026 Charlotte has long been a franchise laughingstock, dare say always. — Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for laughingstock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughingstock
  1. joke
  2. fool
Noun
  • And honestly, that’s kind of the best joke there is — some classic America’s Funniest Home Videos type stuff.
    — Maria Bamford, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Sumaila has a running joke about it, borrowed from an old British comedy about a heist gone wrong.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • But don’t let the cute style fool you—this look is super practical, too.
    — Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
  • However, reinventing Beethoven at the Bowl, doing so following Dudamel and with little rehearsal time, could easily become a fool’s errand.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fool

Browse Nearby Words

laughing off
laughingstock
laughingstocks
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laughingstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughingstock. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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