2
: characterized by or using coarse, indecent humor
a ribald memoir/song
archaic
: a person coarse or lewd in appearance, speech, writing, or thought : a ribald person
Examples of ribald in a Sentence
Adjective
some of the movie's most ribald, and thus funniest, scenes were cut for showing on broadcast television
a ribald tale rife with double entendres and racy innuendo
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Some thought that Kubrick’s adaptation of Thackeray should have been more like Tony Richardson’s Best Picture–winning 1963 Henry Fielding adaptation Tom Jones — earthy, ribald, comic.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2026
Some thought that Kubrick’s adaptation of Thackeray should have been more like Tony Richardson’s Best Picture–winning 1963 Henry Fielding adaptation Tom Jones — earthy, ribald, comic.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ribald
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Adjective
There’s Harley Russell, ribald proprietor and performer at the Sandhills Curiosity Shop in Erick, Okla.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Some thought that Kubrick’s adaptation of Thackeray should have been more like Tony Richardson’s Best Picture–winning 1963 Henry Fielding adaptation Tom Jones — earthy, ribald, comic.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
Flesh wounds, fetid moppets, breastmilk-leaking nipples, and sudden gushes of blood make for a Monty Python-style of ribald humor that will alienate and enchant in equal measure.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2026
Some thought that Kubrick’s adaptation of Thackeray should have been more like Tony Richardson’s Best Picture–winning 1963 Henry Fielding adaptation Tom Jones — earthy, ribald, comic.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ribald
Cite this Entry
“Ribald.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ribald. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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