Word of the Day
September 22, 2011
WORD OF THE DAY
risible (adj)
(riz-uh-buhl)
1. causing or capable of causing laughter; laughable; ludicrous
2. pertaining to or connected with laughing
3. having the ability, disposition, or readiness to laugh
Example:
President Obama’s now infamous speech saying, “the true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra … leading the way to a brighter, more prosperous future” will go down on the list of risible executive pronouncements alongside Herbert Hoover’s “prosperity is just around the corner”; Dick Cheney’s “the insurgency is on its last legs”; and the Lyndon Johnson-era’s “light at the end of the tunnel” in Vietnam. And for the same reason: the presumption of mastery over real-world limitations that simply won’t conform to our wishful thinking.
(Why is the US Losing the Green Race?)
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