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risible

adjective

ˈri-zə-bəl How to pronounce risible (audio)
Definition of risiblenext
1
as in funny
causing or intended to cause laughter a risible comment that made the whole class laugh

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter the idea that people are meant to have wings is risible

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of risible Some in the audience find this risible. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 The public language may seem risible, but that is only a surface-level thing. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2026 The risible ending lets down both actors, each of whom give it their all (especially Glusman) while the screenplay feels like there are chunks of character motivations and development tossed into the trash. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 July 2025 Kagame’s claims that the FDLR poses a threat to Rwanda are similarly risible. — Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 13 Apr. 2023 See All Example Sentences for risible
Recent Examples of Synonyms for risible
  1. funny
  2. ridiculous
  3. humorous
  4. absurd
  5. comedic
  6. silly
  7. amusing
  8. pathetic
Adjective
  • On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The play touches on issues of male bonding, family, reentering the dating pool, loss, grief and despair, while being very funny almost all the time.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • The diabolical is ambiguous and often frankly sexy; the ridiculous is not.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Just by changing his gait to something ridiculous, Cleese gives his audience a moment of release from the entire world of work.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of ridiculous
Adjective
  • Why do some humorous attempts land perfectly while others fail?
    — Norbert Schwarz, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Too often, humorous novels find comedy by mimicking the things that film and TV do, relying on writing that often feels like transcriptions from the screen.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of humorous
Adjective
  • The English dialogue for these films was often absurd and barely coherent, written to conform to the movements of the actors’ mouths.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Correa’s contract contains a full no-trade clause, though any thought of the Astros moving him seems absurd.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • But also tell me about infusing the character with some of your sense of humor and comedic timing.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Her family and church life remained opaque, but her bizarre comedic timing and magnetic onscreen presence turned her into everyone’s favorite reality-TV anti-hero.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of comedic
Adjective
  • That being said, the Ravens offense made the Colts look silly.
    — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Barisone’s proposition was that everything that followed—months of living and working together, silly texts—was done in the shadow of that threat.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of silly
Adjective
  • They’ve been assembled for a brain-breaker of a misfired melodrama, at first darkly amusing, before plunging headlong into soap opera-style twists and a general sense of heavy depression that no one can shake.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The obsessive neat freak beneath the easygoing surface of the virtue-signaling feminist ally might have made an amusing motif if it were ever referenced again.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of amusing
Adjective
  • This is a complete pathetic effort by defense, offense and coaching.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Among the performers, Smith rules the roost as the no-nonsense Angela, and Jones acquits himself tolerably on comic relief duties as the pathetic Mike.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of pathetic

Browse Nearby Words

rise (to)
risible
rising
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Cite this Entry

“Risible.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/risible. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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