ludic

adjective lu·dic \ ˈlü-dik \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of ludic

: of, relating to, or characterized by play : playful

ludic behavior

a ludic novel

ludic was our Word of the Day on 07/07/2017. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of ludic from the Web

Its thematic, visual, and ludic elements hooked into players’ minds and culture as a whole.

— the strong museum of play, Ars Technica, "The original Doom, one of 64 Objects that shaped video game history," 2 June 2018
At various moments throughout this avian journey, Ms. Uglow swoops down to examine and explicate with hawk-like acuity the ludic complexities of Lear’s writings.

— jonathan cott, WSJ, "‘Mr. Lear’ Review: An Airborne Life of Art and Nonsense," 20 Apr. 2018
The Maker movement has reclaimed DIY as a form of cultural practice and ludic, fun hacking as an alternative to our passive role as consumers of locked down devices and wall-garden services.

— bruce sterling, WIRED, "Future Everything Festival, Tools for Unknown Futures," 21 Mar. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ludic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Here's a serious word, just for fun. That is to say, it means "fun," but it was created in all seriousness around 1940 by psychologists. They wanted a term to describe what children do, and they came up with "ludic activity." That may seem ludicrous - why not just call it "playing"? - but the word ludic caught on, and it's not all child's play anymore. It can refer to architecture that is playful, narrative that is humorous and even satirical, and literature that is light. "Ludic" is ultimately from the Latin noun ludus, which refers to a whole range of fun things - stage shows, games, sports, even jokes. The more familiar word ludicrous also traces back to the same source.