adjective
-
having a tendency to laugh
-
causing laughter; ridiculous
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of risible
1550–60; < Late Latin rīsibilis that can laugh, equivalent to Latin rīs ( us ) laughed (past participle of rīdēre to laugh) + -ibilis -ible
Explanation
Risible describes something that is laughable or amusing, like seeing dozens of clowns emerge from a very tiny car. Risible is a fun word to say (it rhymes with visible), but it's not used all that much, maybe because it's a little formal. If you started saying the word risible all the time, that itself might be a little bit risible. Fun — and less stuffy — synonyms include amusing, comic, comical, funny, laughable, and mirthful.
Vocabulary lists containing risible
Tricky Terms for April Fool's Day
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"Hapworth 16, 1924" by J.D. Salinger
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s clear that George has married above himself, but his shortcomings come off as risible rather than oppressive, and it’s hard not to feel protective of him as he’s being pummeled to a pulp.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
The idea that it can roam the globe on its own, ending wars with no base of power or authority, is risible.
From Slate • Jan. 28, 2026
But the movie feels reduced to a muddle, and its climactic sequence, which ought to have been a moving depiction of love and sacrifice, comes off as unintentionally campy and risible.
From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024
Among his more risible claims is that 29 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were lay ministers.
From Salon • Nov. 4, 2023
The poor fellow uttered these sentiments with such earnestness, that my risible emotions were converted into pity.
From A Morning's Walk from London to Kew by Phillips, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
