humorous
1 Americanadjective
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funny; comical; amusing
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displaying or creating humour
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archaic another word for capricious
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of humorous1
First recorded in 1570–80; humor + -ous
Origin of humorous2
1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin ( h ) ūmōrōsus; see humor, -ous
Explanation
If something is humorous it's funny. Humorous is a fine tone for toasting at your friend’s wedding, but not so much for the reading of someone's last will and testament. When we talk about humor, we’re usually talking about something funny. But originally the word humorous had to do with the body’s humors, or moods. If you’re reading a medieval book on medicine, you might find descriptions of humorous maladies. Those aren’t joke sicknesses. But if anyone born after 1700 says something is humorous, it means they think it's funny.
Vocabulary lists containing humorous
More Positive Words to Describe a Person
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Tone and Point of View, List 1
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The award for Best Musical went to "Schmigadoon!," a humorous tribute to Broadway's greatest hits and an adaptation of the series of the same name.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
And Winslet's humorous stories about her home life left Eryn surprised at how down to earth the Oscar winner is.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
After Zoe Kent took over her father’s Ohio soy and corn farm in 2021, she thought she would generate “some fun money” with humorous day-in-the-life videos.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
Current utilizers of the smaller cut include the buzzy Vanderbilt heir Belle Burden’s “Strangers,” George Saunders’ darkly humorous “Vigil” Lena Dunham’s millennial-tinged tell-all “Famesick” and the infamously tablet-sized “Transcription” from Ben Lerner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
I even had his humorous expression in my face, his sharp, optimistic awareness.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
