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Synonyms

comical

American  
[kom-i-kuhl] / ˈkɒm ɪ kəl /

adjective

  1. producing laughter; amusing; funny.

    a comical fellow.

  2. Obsolete. pertaining to or of the nature of comedy.


comical British  
/ ˈkɒmɪkəl /

adjective

  1. causing laughter

  2. ludicrous; laughable

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See amusing.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of comical

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at comic, -al 1

Explanation

Something comical is humorous, amusing, silly, or just plain funny; it makes people laugh. When you think comical, think laughter-causing. Stand-up comedians and comic strips intend to be comical. People like to share comical moments: for example, by posting videos of their pets doing comical things, like a dog going bananas in a water sprinkler. Just like the dog doesn't know it's being funny, people are unintentionally comical too. If a person absorbed in his cell phone conversation falls down a manhole, many will find it comical.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing comical

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.

Comical as it is at times to watch 300-pound linemen lunge for volleyballs, the drill has a purpose.

From Washington Post • Dec. 3, 2022

Comical as it is when the arm, with taloned fingers, tap-taps at the skull, there’s an element of yearning there, too.

From New York Times • Oct. 8, 2021

Comical Ghost went to the lead but couldn’t hold it in this seven furlong race.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2019

His dispatches during the invasion were so far from reality that they earned him a second nickname, "Comical Ali."

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2019

The author of Democritus in London, with the Mad Pranks and Comical Conceits of Motley and Robin Good-Fellow, thus alludes to this saying in that work.

From Notes and Queries, Number 215, December 10, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by Various