laughably

IPA/ˈlɑːfəbli/
IPA/ˈlæfəbli/

laughably — adverb

1. so silly or badly done that people cannot treat it seriously

1.adverbB2
Definition

so silly or badly done that people cannot treat it seriously

Example

The security system was laughably easy to break into.

laughably + adjective (easy)

Theo found the movie's plot laughably bad and walked out after twenty minutes.

Common collocations
  • laughably bad
  • laughably easy
  • laughably cheap
  • laughably inadequate
  • laughably low
  • laughably small
  • laughably naive
  • laughably poor
  • laughably ineffective
Synonyms
  • ridiculously

    more common than 'laughably'; can describe both silly and extreme situations without the same mocking tone

  • absurdly

    stronger focus on illogical or unreasonable quality rather than the idea of causing laughter

  • preposterously

    more formal and emphatic; suggests something is so unreasonable it defies belief

Grammar Patterns

laughably + adjective

laughably + past participle

Usage Note

Most commonly appears directly before an adjective that describes something as being of extremely poor quality or unacceptably inadequate. The adverb adds a tone of dismissal or mockery — the speaker thinks the situation is not even worth serious discussion.

Common Mistakes

The comedian spoke laughably on stage.
The comedian's jokes were laughably bad.
'laughably' does not mean 'in a funny way'; it means something is so poor or silly that it is ridiculous.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All three words describe something extreme in a negative or surprising way, but they differ in tone and use. 'Ridiculously' is the most common and can be neutral or mildly critical (e.g. 'ridiculously cheap prices' could be surprising but not necessarily bad). 'Absurdly' focuses on logical contradiction — something that makes no sense (e.g. 'absurdly complicated rules'). 'Laughably' always carries a dismissive or mocking tone; the speaker thinks the thing is not just unreasonable but beneath serious consideration. 'Preposterously' is the most formal and strongest, used for claims or ideas that defy common sense. Compare: 'The fee was laughably low' (mocking, suggesting the amount is insulting) vs 'The fee was ridiculously low' (could simply mean surprisingly cheap).

ridiculouslyabsurdly ↗preposterously

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed from 'laugh' (from Old English 'hliehhan', meaning to express amusement) + the suffix '-able' (meaning 'able to be') + the adverbial suffix '-ly'. The word developed the sense of 'in a way that causes laughter or deserves mockery' in the 1600s, and later acquired the dismissive meaning of 'so poor or silly that it cannot be taken seriously.'