funny

¹

[ fuhn-ee ]

adjective

, fun·ni·er, fun·ni·est.

1. providing fun; causing amusement or laughter; amusing; comical:

   a funny remark;

   a funny person.

   Synonyms: humorous, facetious, witty, droll, ridiculous, farcical, comic, diverting

2. attempting to amuse; facetious:

   Did you really mean that or were you just being funny?

3. warranting suspicion; deceitful; underhanded:

   We thought there was something funny about those extra charges.

4. Informal. insolent; impertinent:

   Don't get funny with me, young man!

5. curious; strange; peculiar; odd:

   Her speech has a funny twang.

noun

, plural fun·nies.

1. Informal. a funny remark or story; a joke:

   to make a funny.

2. funnies,
   1. comic strips ( def ).
   2. Also called funny paper. the section of a newspaper reserved for comic strips, word games, etc.

funny

²

[ fuhn-ee ]

noun

, plural fun·nies.

1. a shell or light skiff rowed by one person with sculls.

funny

/ ˈfʌnɪ /

adjective

1. causing amusement or laughter; humorous; comical
2. peculiar; odd
3. suspicious or dubious (esp in the phrase funny business )
4. informal.
   faint or ill

   to feel funny

noun

1. informal.
   a joke or witticism

Derived Forms

• ˈfunniness, noun
• ˈfunnily, adverb

Other Words From

• funni·ly adverb
• funni·ness noun
• un·funni·ly adverb
• un·funni·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of funny¹

First recorded in 1730–40; fun + -y ¹

Origin of funny²

First recorded in 1780–90; perhaps jocular use of funny ¹

Idioms and Phrases

• fun

Synonym Study

Funny, laughable, ludicrous refer to that which excites laughter. Funny and laughable are both applied to that which provokes laughter or deserves to be laughed at; funny is a colloquial term loosely applied and in popular use is commonly interchangeable with the other terms: a funny story, scene, joke; a laughable incident, mistake. That which is ludicrous excites laughter by its incongruity and foolish absurdity: The monkey's attempts to imitate the woman were ludicrous.

Example Sentences

“He was shy and funny and so so comfortable on stage. Wow. Like his second skin. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.”

From Los Angeles Times

In a short statement following his death, Liam's family said: "We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul."

From BBC

"A great person to be with and very funny. We were with him at his home about 18 months ago and we talked and talked all afternoon."

From BBC

There is a reasonable argument to be made that the 2024 election outcome boils down to fundamental differences regarding what we, as a nation, find to be funny and what we take to be indecent.

From Salon

"It could cause an even bigger issue then, if something looks funny," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• absurd
• amusing
• droll
• entertaining
• hilarious
• ludicrous
• playful
• ridiculous
• silly
• whimsical

More About Funny

What is a basic definition of funny?

Funny describes something that causes fun, especially laughter. Funny can describe someone who is trying to amuse others. It can also describe someone or something that is suspicious or odd. Funny has a few other senses as an adjective and a noun.

Funny describes something that is amusing and causes people to laugh. Something that amuses people without causing laughter is usually said to be fun rather than funny. For example, a roller coaster would be called fun, while a knock-knock joke would be called funny. If something is not funny, it is unfunny.

Real-life examples: Many people consider clowns, jokes, comedies, pranks, and Internet memes to be funny. These things cause most people to laugh.

Used in a sentence: The comedian knew a lot of funny jokes. 

Funny also describes someone who is trying to get others to laugh or is trying to amuse them. This sense of funny is a synonym of facetious.

Used in a sentence: Joan took the comment as an insult even though Luke was just trying to be funny. 

Funny also describes someone or something that is suspicious or underhanded. You might use this sense when you think something dishonest is going on. The phrase funny business is used in this sense to refer to criminal or unethical activity.

Real-life examples: Rigged carnival games, overly friendly salespeople, and deals that seem too good to be true often cause people to think something funny is going on.

Used in a sentence: We think something funny is going on at that store on the corner that is never open.

Funny can also describe something that is strange, odd, or curious.

Real-life examples: If your leg falls asleep, you will probably walk funny. Two tomatoes that grow together to make one tomato might have a funny shape.

Used in a sentence: I think the speakers might be broken because the music sounds funny. 

Where does funny come from?

The first records of funny come from the 1750s. It comes from a combination of the word fun, meaning “enjoyment or amusement,” and the suffix -y, which means “characterized by” or “bringing about.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to funny?

• funnily (adverb)
• funniness (noun)
• unfunnily (adverb)
• unfunniness (noun)

What are some synonyms for funny?

• comical
• humorous
• silly
• facetious
• odd
• peculiar
• strange
• curious

What are some words that share a root or word element with funny? 

• fun
• funnyman
• funny bone
• funny business
• funny farm

What are some words that often get used in discussing funny?

• comedy
• humor
• jokes
• laughter

How is funny used in real life?

Funny is a very common word with several different meanings. It is most often used to mean something or someone that makes people laugh.

Meet the Parents is such a funny movie

— Deligracy (@Deligracy) November 12, 2019

Ooooh something funny is happening to my mentions. And I mean funny weird and not funny ha ha!

— Maria Duffy (@mduffywriter) April 19, 2011

Been wondering why my apple juice tastes funny. I just noticed the bottle says, "with grape"…..oh.

— cat (@catrific) December 6, 2014

 

 

Try using funny!

If something is funny, it will most likely cause you to:

A. cry
B. laugh
C. scream
D. think