risible

adjective

ris·​i·​ble ˈri-zə-bəl How to pronounce risible (audio)
1
a
: capable of laughing
b
: disposed to laugh
2
: arousing or provoking laughter
especially : laughable
3
: associated with, relating to, or used in laughter
risible muscles
risibly 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 The notion that investors would wholly abandon the world’s second-largest economy is risible. Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 If that sounds risible to you, consider how rapidly the world had changed in the half-century before. Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 Aug. 2024 That law enforcement is not able to more swiftly find Cooper amid a crowd of 3,000 men out of 20,000 people, believe it or not, starts to become a credibility-stretching albatross in the screenplay, but Shyamalan after all has to keep the risible aspects of the plot in ever forward motion. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Aug. 2024 The chamber’s lawsuit is chock full of risible misrepresentations. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for risible 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'risible.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin risibilis, from Latin risus, past participle of ridēre to laugh

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of risible was in 1557

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Dictionary Entries Near risible

Cite this Entry

“Risible.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/risible. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

risible

adjective
ris·​i·​ble ˈriz-ə-bəl How to pronounce risible (audio)
1
: able to laugh
2
: arousing laughter : funny
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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