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Prepositions after adjectives

Ridiculous for, in or to?

Ridiculous commonly appears with for before a person or action. In and to are possible in more limited sentence patterns.

Quick answer

Which preposition follows ridiculous?

Use ridiculous for before a person, thing, or action being judged. Ridiculous to often appears before an infinitive clause. Ridiculous in usually refers to behaviour or appearance within a situation.

It was ridiculous for them to ignore the warning.
The price is ridiculous to pay for a sandwich.
He looked ridiculous in that oversized hat.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
ridiculous for + person or thing

Judging someone or something

Use for to identify who or what seems unreasonable or silly.

It is ridiculous for a company to hide the data.
That fee seems ridiculous for a short journey.
2
ridiculous to + infinitive

Describing an unreasonable action

To often introduces an action with an infinitive verb.

It would be ridiculous to cancel the event now.
It is ridiculous to expect instant results.
3
ridiculous in + clothing or behaviour

Describing appearance or conduct

Use in when referring to clothing, settings, or aspects of behaviour.

She looked ridiculous in those shoes.
He sounded ridiculous in the interview.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
ridiculous for
It was ridiculous for him to lie about it.
Standard for identifying the person or thing judged negatively.
ridiculous in
They looked ridiculous in matching costumes.
Natural when referring to appearance, behaviour, or context.
ridiculous to
It is ridiculous to waste so much food.
Standard before an infinitive action.
ridiculous about
She is ridiculous about cleaning.
Useful additional pattern meaning excessively concerned about something.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using in before an infinitive

Use to before a verb phrase.

✕ It is ridiculous in expect perfection. ✓ It is ridiculous to expect perfection.

Confusing for and to

For identifies the person or thing; to introduces the action.

✕ It was ridiculous to him to refuse help. ✓ It was ridiculous for him to refuse help.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. It is ridiculous ___ charge that much for parking.
2. She looked ridiculous ___ the bright green jacket.
3. It was ridiculous ___ them to arrive so late.

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Frequently asked questions

Is ridiculous for correct?

Yes. It is a common structure before a person, object, or action.

When do we use ridiculous to?

Use it before an infinitive verb, such as ridiculous to believe or ridiculous to spend.

Can ridiculous in be correct?

Yes. It is often used for appearance, behaviour, or situations, especially with clothing or context.

racist-in-against-for-to, towards "radical in" or "radical for"? rampant in, among, with, on or throughout? "rare in" or "rare for"? "rational for" or "rational in"? "raw in", "raw for" or "raw with"? reachable by, from, on, in or through? "reactive to", "reactive rather" or "reactive in"? ready for, to, in, at or by? "realistic about" or "realistic in"? "real to", "real for" or "real in"? rearing of, as or on?

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