humorous

¹

[ hyoo-mer-uhsor, often, yoo- ]

adjective

1. characterized by humor; funny; comical:

   a humorous anecdote.

   Synonyms: laughable, ludicrous

   Antonyms: serious, sober, solemn

2. having or showing the faculty of humor; droll; facetious:

   a humorous person.

   Synonyms: comical, comic, jocular, jocose

   Antonyms: serious, sober, solemn

humorous

²

[ hyoo-mer-uhsor, often, yoo- ]

adjective

1. Archaic. moist; wet.
2. pertaining or due to the bodily humors.

humorous

/ ˈhjuːmərəs /

adjective

1. funny; comical; amusing
2. displaying or creating humour
3. archaic.
   another word for capricious

Derived Forms

• ˈhumorously, adverb
• ˈhumorousness, noun

Other Words From

• humor·ous·ly adverb
• humor·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of humorous¹

First recorded in 1570–80; humor + -ous

Origin of humorous²

1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin ( h ) ūmōrōsus; humor, -ous

Synonym Study

Humorous, witty, facetious, waggish imply something that arises from cleverness or a sense of fun. Humorous implies a genuine sense of fun and the comic, impersonal, or gently personal: a humorous version of an incident; a humorous view of life. Witty implies quickness to perceive the amusing, striking, or unusual and to express it cleverly and entertainingly; it sometimes becomes rather sharp and unkind, particularly in quick repartee of a personal nature: a witty and interesting companion; to be witty at someone else's expense. Facetious suggests a desire or attempt to be jocular or witty but not to be taken seriously: a facetious remark. Waggish suggests the spirit of sly mischief and roguery of the constant joker, with no harm intended: a waggish good humor.

Example Sentences

Again, I think that’s why I wanted to bring humorous moments into the performance.

From Los Angeles Times

Schur and Danson have reunited for a tender, humorous meditation on loneliness and the search for late-in-life purpose with Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside.”

From Los Angeles Times

Four years after concluding their work together on NBC’s “The Good Place,” a philosophical comedy that explored morality and ethics through a group of deceased characters navigating the afterlife, Schur and Danson have reunited for a tender, humorous meditation on loneliness and the search for late-in-life purpose with “A Man on the Inside,” an eight-episode Netflix series premiering Nov. 21.

From Los Angeles Times

He was almost gleeful or somehow found the situation humorous.

From Salon

Similar roles have followed on Match of the Day and for CBS' Champions League coverage - where humorous off-script moments between presenter Abdo, Richards himself and Premier League legends Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry regularly trend on social media.

From BBC

Related Words

• amusing
• comic
• droll
• entertaining
• hilarious
• playful
• pleasant
• whimsical