hilarious

[hi-lair-ee-uhs, -lar-, hahy-]

adjective

1. arousing great merriment; extremely funny.

   a hilarious story; a hilarious old movie.

2. boisterously merry or cheerful.

   a hilarious celebration.

   Synonyms: high-spirited, rollicking, jolly, lively
   Antonyms: solemn, serious, sad

3. merry; cheerful.

hilarious

/ hɪˈlɛərɪəs /

adjective

1. very funny or merry

Other Word Forms

• hilariously adverb
• hilariousness noun
• hyperhilarious adjective
• hyperhilariously adverb
• hyperhilariousness noun
• unhilarious adjective
• unhilariously adverb
• unhilariousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hilarious¹

1815–25; < Latin hilar ( is ), hilar ( us ) cheerful (< Greek hilarós ) + -ious

Word History and Origins

Origin of hilarious¹

C19: from Latin hilaris glad, from Greek hilaros

Example Sentences

“It was hilarious and effective, and as fast as lightning that made its way around the Upper East Side chattering classes,” securities lawyer Richard Farley said of the ad.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So sweet it might make you nervous, which is the point: Mr. Cappa’s twisted take on the domestic comedy is to make it so wholesome and loving that wholesome and loving become hilarious.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star,” wrote actor Bette Midler on Instagram.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was ... oh, la, lala!"

Read more on BBC

And have you ever seen anything as ludicrous, as preposterous, as jaw-droppingly hilarious as a third Scottish goal going in at the end?

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• amusing 
• comical 
• entertaining 
• humorous 
• laughable 
• lively 
• priceless 
• uproarious 

When To Use

What does hilarious mean?

Hilarious means extremely funny, like literally lol funny.Hilarious is most commonly used to describe someone or something (like a joke or a movie) as super funny. Much less commonly, it used to mean very merry or cheerful, as in a hilarious celebration.Example: The movie was absolutely hilarious—I was laughing so hard at one point that I was crying.