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. See capricious
   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

In fact, she also launched a humorous series “Ask Lena” on YouTube where she gives sage advice on feminism in episode one.

From The Daily Beast

The sniper barely missed, and Steven relayed the story as equal parts humorous and traumatic.

From The Daily Beast

Libyans are by and large charming, charismatic, humorous people with a Mediterranean joie de vivre.

From The Daily Beast

Austen, Eliot, and James sometimes complemented their essential seriousness with humorous minor characters and subplots.

From The Daily Beast

Mollen, an actress, first got her literary start by way of a humorous incident, naturally.

From The Daily Beast

"You positively convulse me, you're so very humorous," said Robinson, without a vestige of a smile.

From Project Gutenberg

Perhaps our comic papers have never heard of the Improvement Clubs, or find nothing in them that is humorous.

From Project Gutenberg

He was fond of the pathetic, but the humorous moved him most, and his lively gifts were welcome wherever we went.

From Project Gutenberg

Aunt Ri gazed at her with a sentiment as near to veneration as her dry, humorous, practical nature was capable of feeling.

From Project Gutenberg

Her hazel eyes were very round for a moment, then they narrowed, and little humorous lines formed at the corners of her lips.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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