hilarious
Americanadjective
-
arousing great merriment; extremely funny.
a hilarious story; a hilarious old movie.
-
boisterously merry or cheerful.
a hilarious celebration.
- Synonyms:
- high-spirited, rollicking, jolly, lively
-
merry; cheerful.
adjective
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hilarious
1815–25; < Latin hilar ( is ), hilar ( us ) cheerful (< Greek hilarós ) + -ious
Explanation
One person can find a joke a little funny, while someone else might find it downright hilarious. When something is super-funny, it's hilarious. Hilarious is an adjective that describes a high degree of humor. Things that are funny can cause you to smile or giggle, but when something is hilarious, it causes you to laugh out loud. Of course, what's hilarious to me might not be to you. When I scribbled obscenities on your face while you were asleep? I found that totally hilarious. You? Not so much. Hilarious is also used sarcastically, when something isn't funny at all. Like when you woke up: you glared at me and said "Hilarious."
Vocabulary lists containing hilarious
"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
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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.
Hilarious and incisive, the humor never draws blood, never curdles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
The event will be hosted by comedian Jess Hilarious and podcaster Gia Peppers.
From Seattle Times • May 2, 2024
Hilarious and sardonic, heartbreaking and beautiful — there’s just no other way to put it: “The Bee Sting” is a masterpiece.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2023
Metcalf: "Hilarious - her Yorkshire laugh is just brilliant. Her and Fran are like an old married couple but her personality is very contagious."
From BBC • Jul. 28, 2023
Jane says, "Hilarious note, Grayson. So Tiny tells me you've taken a vow of silence."
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
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.
