laugh at vs ridicule

laugh at

verb
  • To scorn or tease; to evince contempt or pity for someone, usually contrasted with laugh with. 

  • Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see laugh, at. 

ridicule

verb
  • to criticize or disapprove of someone or something through scornful jocularity; to make fun of 

noun
  • An object of sport or laughter; a laughing stock. 

  • The quality of being ridiculous; ridiculousness. 

  • derision; mocking or humiliating words or behaviour 

  • A small woman's handbag; a reticule. 

How often have the words laugh at and ridicule occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )