Origin: Latin suffix -able
Laughable has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
so unreasonable as to invite derision
"the absurd excuse that the dog ate his homework"
"that's a cockeyed idea"
"ask a nonsensical question and get a nonsensical answer"
"a contribution so small as to be laughable"
"it is ludicrous to call a cottage a mansion"
"a preposterous attempt to turn back the pages of history"
"her conceited assumption of universal interest in her rather dull children was ridiculous"
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"
Fitted to excite laughter; humorous.
This word comes from combining the verb laugh with the suffix -able. It originally meant something that is capable of being laughed at.