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laughingstocks

noun

plural of laughingstock
as in jokes
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 laughingstocks After going from perennial laughingstocks to legitimate contenders over the last two years, the Detroit Lions could be poised for their best season yet. — Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laughingstocks
  1. jokes
  2. fools
  3. targets
Noun
  • The set includes a variety of items, including a new book entitled Slappy’s Book of Pranks, which includes directions for over 20 different pranks, Slappy trivia, a history of pranking, jokes and an introduction by Stine himself.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Beyond jokes, Pitt plays a military veteran in the movie, which is out on September 25.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of jokes
Noun
  • Like Rick Nelson’s fools, the Zellners also rush in where angels fear to tread, and their love for the bizarre, the cool and the crazy is, like the epidemic of emotions facing the Alpha Gang, wildly infectious.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Some want to live vicariously through them, while others joke about the poor fools who fell for their tactics.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of fools
Noun
  • One of your biggest targets in this book is Jeffrey Katzenberg.
    — Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Since the program’s inception in the early 2000s, most companies have failed to reach their original hiring or investment targets and ultimately did not receive the full grant funding.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of targets

Browse Nearby Words

laughingstock
laughingstocks
laugh off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laughingstocks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laughingstocks. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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