laughable

adjective

laugh·​able ˈla-fə-bəl How to pronounce laughable (audio)
ˈlä-
: of a kind to provoke laughter or sometimes derision : amusingly ridiculous
laughableness noun
laughably adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for laughable

laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, comic, comical mean provoking laughter or mirth.

laughable applies to anything occasioning laughter.

laughable attempts at skating

ludicrous suggests absurdity that excites both laughter and scorn.

a thriller with a ludicrous plot

ridiculous suggests extreme absurdity, foolishness, or contemptibility.

a ridiculous display of anger

comic applies especially to what arouses thoughtful amusement.

a comic character

comical applies to what arouses spontaneous hilarity.

a comical hat

Examples of laughable in a Sentence

His attempt at skiing was laughable. the laughable, boisterous antics of the circus clowns
Recent Examples on the Web Unfortunately, their quest takes many wrong turns, including a laughable fake ID, two incompetent cops, and multiple car accidents. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 The bending is a hard thing to get right — the movie has a laughable moment where a half-dozen Earthbenders move together in furious union, the result of which is the tossing of one volleyball-sized rock — but the fight sequences here are thrilling in how they’re staged and shot. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2024 Filled with atrocious dialogue, awkward editing, & all around laughable structure. James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2024 Even a decade ago, the idea that half a million people could trek the once-impenetrable Darien Gap jungle in a single year would be have laughable; today, social media lets migrants share their experience crossing the continent, and the U.S. border, in real time. Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 The character of Ezekiel is less than an intimidating antagonist, given lines throughout the film that are supposed to come off as sinister, but instead, come off as laughable and almost parody-like on-screen. Jeff Conway, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Of course, in practically any other area of science, a study with nine participants — with four yielding poor results — would be considered laughable evidence. Abigail Anthony, National Review, 15 Jan. 2024 During this time, Evangelista also recalled how people thought the term ’supermodel’ was becoming extinct—a laughable concept now. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2023 The results are amateurish, at times laughable (somebody stop that kid crashing his cymbals beside the mic), but the songs are deeply affecting. Christopher Wynn, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of laughable was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near laughable

Cite this Entry

“Laughable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/laughable. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

laughable

adjective
laugh·​able ˈlaf-ə-bəl How to pronounce laughable (audio)
ˈlȧf-
: causing laughter or scorn : ridiculous
laughableness noun
laughably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on laughable

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!