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
Relevance
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 Hoosiers in two years have gone from a college football laughingstock to one of the most complete teams in the country that has toppled national powers Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon on their way to the title game.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Jan. 2026
Indiana was once considered college football’s ultimate laughingstock, making headlines as the first school to lose 700 games.
—The Athletic College Football, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
For some difficult-to-define reason, this trip made Perry a laughingstock.
—Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Minnesota has become the laughingstock of America — the embarrassment of our nation.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laughingstock
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Jan. 2026
Indiana was once considered college football’s ultimate laughingstock, making headlines as the first school to lose 700 games.
—The Athletic College Football, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026
For some difficult-to-define reason, this trip made Perry a laughingstock.
—Choire Sicha, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Minnesota has become the laughingstock of America — the embarrassment of our nation.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for laughingstock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughingstock
Noun
-
But for too many of us, that proved an empty promise, the concept of work-life balance a cruel joke for women burned out from trying to take care of children and aging relatives, advance their careers (or even tread water in them), and meet other seemingly countless obligations.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Verizon had no say over the fate of an actor who once played a fictional ad icon on its behalf, but consumers got the joke.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But Cramer said that is a fool’s errands as the market seemingly changes its tune each quarter.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, comparing the bottle in question to contemporary releases is a fool’s errand—this was something different entirely.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laughingstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughingstock. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
