Word of the Day

: August 3, 2020

risible

adjective RIZZ-uh-bul

What It Means

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 in Context

"When they arrived … they were treated to a sight that was as surreal as it was risible: Kamo Petrossian dressed in whites and sporting a captain's hat complete with gold braid and embroidered badge, strutting about the sun deck, clutching a champagne flute." — Peter Crawley, Mazzeri, 2013

"In the tradition of risible cable reality hits like Married at First Sight and 90 Day Fiancé, [Netflix's] new 'social experiment' Love Is Blind follows couples who've been thrust on the fast track to marriage. The twist is that they don't lay eyes on each other until they're engaged; each 'date' consists solely of a chat between one man and one woman lounging in separate 'pods.'" — Judy Berman, Time, 27 Feb. 2020

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.