RISIBLE

amusing, comic, comical, funny, laughable, mirthful, risible

(adjective) arousing or provoking laughter; “an amusing film with a steady stream of pranks and pratfalls”; “an amusing fellow”; “a comic hat”; “a comical look of surprise”; “funny stories that made everybody laugh”; “a very funny writer”; “it would have been laughable if it hadn’t hurt so much”; “a mirthful experience”; “risible courtroom antics”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Adjective

risible (comparative more risible, superlative most risible)

Of or pertaining to laughter

Provoking laughter; ludicrous; ridiculous; humorously insignificant

(of a person) Easily laughing; prone to laughter

Synonyms

• (provoking laughter): funny, laughable, ludicrous

Anagrams

• birlies

Source: Wiktionary

---

Ris"i*ble, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. risibilis, fr. ridere, risum, to laugh. Cf. Ridiculous.]

1. Having the faculty or power of laughing; disposed to laugh. Laughing is our busines, . . . it has been made the definition of man that he is risible. Dr. H. More.

2. Exciting laughter; worthy to be laughed at; amusing. "Risible absurdities." Johnson. I hope you find nothing risible in my complaisance. Sir W. Scott.

3. Used in, or expressing, laughter; as, risible muscles.

Note: Risible is sometimes used as a noun, in the plural, for the feeling of amusement and for the muscles and other organs used in laughing, collectively; as, unable to control one's risibles.

Syn.

– Ludicrous; laughable; amusing; ridiculous -- Risible, Ludicrous, Ridiculous. Risible differs from ludicrous as species from genus; ludicrous expressing that which is playful and sportive; risible, that which may excite laughter. Risible differs from ridiculous, as the latter implies something contemptuous, and risible does not.

--Ris"i*ble*ness(#), n.

– Ris"i*bly, adv.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---