Today's word is risible, spelled R-I-S-I-B-L-E.
Risible is an adjective.
It's a formal word used disapprovingly to describe things that deserve to be mocked or laughed at
because they are absurd or unreasonable.
Here's the word used in a sentence from the New York Times.
Smartwatches and smartphones are banned in my children's schools during the school day,
which I'm very happy about.
I find any argument for allowing these devices in the classroom to be risible.
Say cheese.
Now say thank you to the risorious muscles near the corners of your mouth for helping you smile.
You might find this exercise a bit ridiculous, risible even,
but we're here to explain that there is no need for derision.
It's for a wordy reason.
Risible, ridiculous, derision, and risorious all come from the Latin verb ridere, meaning to laugh.
This etymology helps make the meaning of the word risible clear.
Something is described as risible,
such as saying cheese out loud to yourself while looking at your phone or computer,
when it arouses or provokes laughter.
But just as its synonym, laughable, often describes things deserving not just of laughter,
but of eye-rolling scorn,