adjective
Related Words
Amusing, comical, droll describe that which causes mirth. That which is amusing is quietly humorous or funny in a gentle, good-humored way: The baby's attempts to talk were amusing. That which is comical causes laughter by being incongruous, witty, or ludicrous: His huge shoes made the clown look comical. Droll adds to comical the idea of strange or peculiar, and sometimes that of sly or waggish humor: the droll antics of a kitten; a droll imitation.
Other Word Forms
- amusingly adverb
- amusingness noun
- quasi-amusing adjective
- quasi-amusingly adverb
- unamusing adjective
- unamusingly adverb
- unamusingness noun
Etymology
Origin of amusing
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 timeliness, she says, makes it such an amusing play to perform.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026
At its best, “Hoppers” is mildly amusing, but that aspect barely covers for the deficiencies of its lead character, who is mildly annoying.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Unfortunately, as amusing as this is on a certain level, it will have real-world consequences that could take decades to repair and cause millions of needless deaths.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
Invariably these wacky scenarios will be more amusing to longtime fans, for whom a frantic climax akin to the lightning-meets-DeLorean ending of “Back to the Future” will play like nostalgia for nostalgia.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
“But we thought it might be amusing on the first night.”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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.
