hilarious
Americanadjective
-
arousing great merriment; extremely funny.
a hilarious story; a hilarious old movie.
-
boisterously merry or cheerful.
a hilarious celebration.
- Synonyms:
- high-spirited, rollicking, jolly, lively
-
merry; cheerful.
adjective
Usage
What does hilarious mean? Hilarious means extremely funny, like literally lol funny.Hilarious is most commonly used to describe someone or something (like a joke or a movie) as super funny. Much less commonly, it used to mean very merry or cheerful, as in a hilarious celebration.Example: The movie was absolutely hilarious—I was laughing so hard at one point that I was crying.
Other Word Forms
- hilariously adverb
- hilariousness noun
- hyperhilarious adjective
- hyperhilariously adverb
- hyperhilariousness noun
- unhilarious adjective
- unhilariously adverb
- unhilariousness noun
Etymology
Origin of hilarious
1815–25; < Latin hilar ( is ), hilar ( us ) cheerful (< Greek hilarós ) + -ious
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.
It’s a hilarious take on bonding with ancestors, in this case in an intergalactic bathhouse where Zaalan’s Syrian ancestors must field obnoxious first world questions from millennial descendants.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
In 2011 two sportswriters, Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck, co-authored “The Swinger,” a hilarious and barely disguised novelization of Mr. Woods’s postscandal career.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
"I'll be a bit clumsy up there -- so I know that's going to be hilarious and annoying at the same time."
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
In an accompanying essay, Springsteen described the Irish musician's songwriting as "raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound".
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
You know when you’ve had a really long day and you’re so punchy with tiredness that everything seems hilarious?
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
