comical
Americanadjective
-
producing laughter; amusing; funny.
a comical fellow.
-
Obsolete. pertaining to or of the nature of comedy.
adjective
-
causing laughter
-
ludicrous; laughable
Related Words
See amusing.
Other Word Forms
- comicality noun
- comically adverb
- comicalness noun
- noncomical adjective
- noncomicality noun
- noncomically adverb
- noncomicalness noun
- quasi-comical adjective
- quasi-comically adverb
- semicomical adjective
- semicomically adverb
- uncomical adjective
- uncomically adverb
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.
Vocabulary lists containing comical
Out of the Dust
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List 2
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -al, -ial
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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.
Critics come in for harsher abuse, but Mr. Ireland spreads around his comical scorn about the vanities and hypocrisies of theater folk liberally.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
The 98th Academy Awards featured emotional speeches, comical relief and a bevy of backstage fun.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
How comical is that response when someone is literally telling you that those are the two areas they struggle with?
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
If the stakes weren’t so high, it would have been almost comical to see an adult behave so childishly in such a formal setting.
From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026
There were three little half-grown goats, and it was nice and comical to see how much they loved Harry.
From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen
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.
