humorous

¹

[hyoo-mer-uhs, 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-uhs, 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. archaic,  another word for capricious

Other Word Forms

• humorously adverb
• humorousness 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

"It's incredibly sad but at times, also humorous. I couldn't think of a more extreme example of someone whose life over the last 40 years has encompassed incredible upset, tragedy and emotion."

From BBC

The finale is ghastly, grisly and even humorous when Madigan gets the chance to play up her character’s eccentricities to their most campy heights.

From Salon

"With his warm, honest, and humorous nature, he has not only provided medical assistance, but shaped our community," a statement read.

From BBC

But before we lapse into humorous self-satisfaction about "those incredibly lazy French and their God-given right to endless downtime", we need to bear in mind a couple of other considerations.

From BBC

A humane, ruminative, humorous and quietly radical figure, he was at the centre of what he hopes will become the first of many such gatherings.

From BBC

Related Words

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