comical
Americanadjective
-
producing laughter; amusing; funny.
a comical fellow.
-
Obsolete. pertaining to or of the nature of comedy.
adjective
-
causing laughter
-
ludicrous; laughable
Related Words
See amusing.
Other Word Forms
- comicality noun
- comically adverb
- comicalness noun
- noncomical adjective
- noncomicality noun
- noncomically adverb
- noncomicalness noun
- quasi-comical adjective
- quasi-comically adverb
- semicomical adjective
- semicomically adverb
- uncomical adjective
- uncomically adverb
Etymology
Origin of comical
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at comic, -al 1
Explanation
Something comical is humorous, amusing, silly, or just plain funny; it makes people laugh. When you think comical, think laughter-causing. Stand-up comedians and comic strips intend to be comical. People like to share comical moments: for example, by posting videos of their pets doing comical things, like a dog going bananas in a water sprinkler. Just like the dog doesn't know it's being funny, people are unintentionally comical too. If a person absorbed in his cell phone conversation falls down a manhole, many will find it comical.
Vocabulary lists containing comical
Out of the Dust
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List 2
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -al, -ial
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All the films are affectionate, most are light-hearted and often comical.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
Tigri, grim-faced in body armor, stood next to Samary, slightly comical with his helmet askew and rifle hanging from a sling.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
How comical is that response when someone is literally telling you that those are the two areas they struggle with?
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
The publicity stunt by the restaurant - called All Hopes No Promises - has led to Toto songwriter David Paich and manager Steven Karas calling the plaque "completely erroneous" and "comical".
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
It seems comical, looking back; we were a band of Charlie Chaplins marooned in the California desert.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
