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

The hyperbolic, humorous statement you’re making is only funny because it’s grounded in a shared experience.

From Los Angeles Times

This movie is so beautiful and graceful and funny.

From Salon

But a funny thing happened when Trump weighed in on the Senate majority leadership vote to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., shortly after the election.

From Salon

FX’s “English Teacher” is equal parts funny, sweet and raunchy, mining laughs from divisive cultural issues and messy relationships that aren’t usually seen on television.

From Los Angeles Times

Alvarez’s character, Evan Marquez, is surrounded by work friends as funny as he is.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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