funny

¹

[fuhn-ee]

noun

plural

funnies 

1. a shell or light skiff rowed by one person with sculls.

funny

²

[fuhn-ee]

adjective

funnier, funniest 

1. providing fun; causing amusement or laughter; amusing; comical.

   a funny remark;

   a funny person.

   Synonyms: humorous, facetious, witty, droll, ridiculous, farcical, comic, diverting

2. attempting to amuse; facetious.

   Did you really mean that or were you just being funny?

3. warranting suspicion; deceitful; underhanded.

   We thought there was something funny about those extra charges.

4. Informal.,  insolent; impertinent.

   Don't get funny with me, young man!

5. curious; strange; peculiar; odd.

   Her speech has a funny twang.

noun

plural

funnies 

1. Informal.,  a funny remark or story; a joke.

   to make a funny.

2. funnies,

   1. comic strips.

   2. Also called funny paper. the section of a newspaper reserved for comic strips, word games, etc.

funny

/ ˈfʌnɪ /

adjective

1. causing amusement or laughter; humorous; comical

2. peculiar; odd

3. suspicious or dubious (esp in the phrase funny business )

4. informal,  faint or ill

   to feel funny

noun

1. informal,  a joke or witticism

Other Word Forms

• funnily adverb
• funniness noun
• unfunnily adverb
• unfunniness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of funny¹

First recorded in 1780–90; perhaps jocular use of funny ¹

Origin of funny²

First recorded in 1730–40; fun + -y ¹

Idioms and Phrases

• fun

Synonym Study

Funny, laughable, ludicrous refer to that which excites laughter. Funny and laughable are both applied to that which provokes laughter or deserves to be laughed at; funny is a colloquial term loosely applied and in popular use is commonly interchangeable with the other terms: a funny story, scene, joke; a laughable incident, mistake. That which is ludicrous excites laughter by its incongruity and foolish absurdity: The monkey's attempts to imitate the woman were ludicrous.

Example Sentences

"He's a funny character. I walked past him in the corridor, didn't do anything, but when security is around he wants to talk funny," 32-year-old TKV said.

Read more on BBC

Watching it, Armando realizes his life, and maybe his country, has become a cheesy movie—absurd but not funny.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I am grateful for a little blond boy, just over a year old with a funny, grave face.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"You don't even have to like me to come, it goes beyond that, this is about supporting these charities," he said and joked "if it's not funny, you'll get your money back."

Read more on BBC

“Politely add other provocative topics you’d prefer to avoid – like your weight, diet, parenting, infertility or finances,” Kavanagh said, suggesting everyone bring a game, funny holiday story or your favorite song to share instead.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• absurd 
• amusing 
• droll 
• entertaining 
• hilarious 
• ludicrous 
• playful 
• ridiculous 
• silly 
• whimsical 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of funny?

Funny describes something that causes fun, especially laughter. Funny can describe someone who is trying to amuse others. It can also describe someone or something that is suspicious or odd. Funny has a few other senses as an adjective and a noun.Funny describes something that is amusing and causes people to laugh. Something that amuses people without causing laughter is usually said to be fun rather than funny. For example, a roller coaster would be called fun, while a knock-knock joke would be called funny. If something is not funny, it is unfunny.Real-life examples: Many people consider clowns, jokes, comedies, pranks, and Internet memes to be funny. These things cause most people to laugh.Used in a sentence: The comedian knew a lot of funny jokes. Funny also describes someone who is trying to get others to laugh or is trying to amuse them. This sense of funny is a synonym of facetious.Used in a sentence: Joan took the comment as an insult even though Luke was just trying to be funny. Funny also describes someone or something that is suspicious or underhanded. You might use this sense when you think something dishonest is going on. The phrase funny business is used in this sense to refer to criminal or unethical activity.Real-life examples: Rigged carnival games, overly friendly salespeople, and deals that seem too good to be true often cause people to think something funny is going on.Used in a sentence: We think something funny is going on at that store on the corner that is never open.Funny can also describe something that is strange, odd, or curious.Real-life examples: If your leg falls asleep, you will probably walk funny. Two tomatoes that grow together to make one tomato might have a funny shape.Used in a sentence: I think the speakers might be broken because the music sounds funny.