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

Derived Forms

• hiˈlariously, adverb
• hiˈlariousness, noun

Other Words From

• hi·lari·ous·ly adverb
• hi·lari·ous·ness noun
• hyper·hi·lari·ous adjective
• hyper·hi·lari·ous·ly adverb
• hyper·hi·lari·ous·ness noun
• unhi·lari·ous adjective
• unhi·lari·ous·ly adverb
• unhi·lari·ous·ness 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

But it is more than that — a darkly hilarious, uncomfortably honest exploration of how motherhood can turn you into someone you no longer recognize.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet Hilburn, who’s also written books about Paul Simon and Johnny Cash, builds “A Few Words” around his belief in the sociopolitical importance of songs as sharp, as perceptive and often as darkly hilarious as “Sail Away,” “Baltimore,” “Louisiana 1927” and “It’s Money That I Love”; he also digs into the trap-door depths of Newman’s two famous quasi-novelty hits: “Short People,” which somehow reached No. 2 in 1978, and the deathless “I Love L.A.,” which still marks home-game wins by the Lakers and the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s these two conflicting worlds, and I grew up in such a steep purity culture that it’s just hilarious to me how what I thought was brazen and inappropriate was normal rites of passage for any teenage girl or young adult.

From Los Angeles Times

Arguably, the Monk's terrifying and/or hilarious saga offered a local corollary to the specter that's haunting all of Europe, and nowhere more than Ireland: Trump's impending second term.

From Salon

I like to think of those men, who had surely heard about the last time some dudes moved Plymouth Rock, who’d probably joked about it, wouldn’t it be kind of hilarious if they dropped it again while doing everything they could not to drop it again.

From Slate

Related Words

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