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

He was almost gleeful or somehow found the situation humorous.

From Salon

“They don’t have powers, they make all their own costumes, and it’s fabulous and can be campy and can be humorous but then is also gut-wrenching.”

From Los Angeles Times

Over the weekend, she appeared on “Saturday Night Live,” where she tried to put a more humorous spin on the idea that Trump should be left in the past.

From Los Angeles Times

As portrayed by the actresses, Carroll, 80, was naive, shattered, trusting, determined, hurt and at times humorous when she was on the stand.

From Los Angeles Times

Screen Rant's Patrice Witherspoon noted: "Inherently, witnessing a woman propel insults at people is humorous, but sadness layers the script, making it deeply moving."

From BBC

Related Words

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