comical
Americanadjective
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producing laughter; amusing; funny.
a comical fellow.
-
Obsolete. pertaining to or of the nature of comedy.
adjective
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causing laughter
-
ludicrous; laughable
Synonym Usage
See amusing.
Other Word Forms
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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Funny
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List 2
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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.
Oh, and if you didn’t think a novel set in the world of poetry could be comical, you’d be wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
There’s something bleakly comical about it: The sleek, rebranded Clippers, re-sentenced to roam the earth as the sad, old Clippers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
The unresolved trade issues between the two sides, a list that is almost comical in both its breadth and specificity, suggests why Ford has so much pull.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
That we see the group start horrified and scared for their lives, and then watch as they embrace their place in the infinite agony to the point that it becomes comical, is remarkable.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
The graying hair on the back of his head was swept forward, a comical arrangement to disguise his bald spot.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
