From the book
Lysis
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordKatagelastos means ridiculous; liable to be laughed at.
- In LysisCtesippus applies the word to the lover’s inability to say anything distinctive about the boy.
- Reading contextThe word closes the dialogue by distinguishing their lived association from success in defining it.
- A place to readThe Greek example means “You ridiculous Hippothales.”
- English renderings
- Ridiculous; liable to be laughed at
Meaning
Ridiculous; liable to be laughed at.
Grammatical category: adjective.
Use in the book
Ctesippus applies the word to the lover’s inability to say anything distinctive about the boy. Socrates then calls Hippothales ridiculous for praising himself before he has won, and warns that failure will make the ambitious praise look more absurd.
At 211c Socrates playfully fears that Menexenus will make him ridiculous in argument. The adjective marks exposure to an audience’s laughter across poetic and conversational performance. It is not simply a synonym for false: the embarrassment depends on self-presentation and an unmet claim.
At 223b Socrates includes himself and both boys among those made ridiculous: they think they are friends, yet have not discovered what a friend is. The word closes the dialogue by distinguishing their lived association from success in defining it.