risible

adjective

ris·i·ble ˈri-zə-bəl

Synonyms of risible next

: capable of laughing

: disposed to laugh

: arousing or provoking laughter

especially : laughable

: associated with, relating to, or used in laughter

risible muscles

risibly

ˈri-zə-blē

adverb

Did you know?

If someone makes a ridiculous remark about your risible muscles, they are not necessarily deriding your physique. Risible can also mean "associated with laughter," so risible muscles can simply be the ones used for laughing. (You've also got a set of risorius muscles around your mouth that help you smile.) Next time you find something laughable, tip your hat to ridēre, the Latin verb meaning "to laugh" that gave us risible as well as ridiculous and deride.

Examples of risible in a Sentence

The suggestion was downright risible. a risible comment that made the whole class laugh

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Without wanting to hurt the tender feelings of a hundred million gamers, why are the fundamentals of speech and locomotion still so risible to behold? —

Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025 His risible public statements, designed to draw a spectacle, can distract from any old-fashioned corruption happening behind the scenes. —

Dylan Scott, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 And the objections of some clerics that driving would endanger Saudi women’s moral standing were risible, given that the alternative was for Saudi women to be driven by male drivers (either in taxis or in their families’ cars) who were not members of their families. —

F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 19 Mar. 2018 As for his foreign policy revisionism, the president’s boasts are risible. —

Editorial, Boston Herald, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for risible