droll

[ drohl ]

adjective

, droll·er, droll·est.

1. amusing in an odd way; whimsically humorous; waggish.

   Synonyms: witty, odd, diverting

   Antonyms: serious

noun

1. a droll person; jester; wag.

   Synonyms: clown

verb (used without object)

1. Archaic. to jest; joke.

   Synonyms: clown

droll

/ drəʊl /

adjective

1. amusing in a quaint or odd manner; comical

Derived Forms

• ˈdrolly, adverb
• ˈdrollness, noun

Other Words From

• drollness noun
• drolly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of droll¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Middle French drolle “pleasant rascal,” perhaps from Middle Dutch drol “elf, goblin, fat little man,” ultimately from Old Norse; troll ²( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of droll¹

C17: from French drôle scamp, from Middle Dutch: imp

Synonym Study

See amusing.

Example Sentences

Other influences, like the tastemaking Bay Area band Whirr, drew from similar wells a generation ago — Lu’s droll Instagram handle is still “whirrwhoreforlyfe.”

From Los Angeles Times

The droll side of his personality came out again shortly after he had finished speaking to the media.

From BBC

He also had a droll side, as revealed in this song reconstituted from demos he recorded in 1993; a latter-day band, including Marty Stuart on guitar, now fills out the original tracks.

From New York Times

But as she’s stymied in her quest for romance and stardom, our heroine morphs into a droll, nasty-minded comedian named Joker the Harlequin.

From New York Times

The humor these authors embrace traverses the gamut, from sardonic to screwball, mordant to madcap, droll to deranged.

From New York Times

Related Words

• eccentric
• entertaining
• funny
• humorous
• whimsical