Dictionary.com

hilarity

[ hi-lar-i-tee, -lair-, hahy- ]
/ hɪˈlær ɪ ti, -ˈlɛər-, haɪ- /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for hilarity on Thesaurus.com
noun
cheerfulness; merriment; mirthfulness.
boisterous gaiety or merriment.
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
affect
effect
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Meet Grammar CoachWrite or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar helpImprove Your Writing
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Origin of hilarity

1560–70; earlier hilaritie, from Latin hilaritās, equivalent to hilari(s) (see hilarious) + -tās-ty2

synonym study for hilarity

2. See mirth.

OTHER WORDS FROM hilarity

hy·per·hi·lar·i·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to hilarity

amusement, merriment, cheerfulness, entertainment, fun, mirthfulness

How to use hilarity in a sentence

  • He dreamed of Vienna as one continual debauch, one never-ceasing saturnalia, an eternal tournament of perfumed hilarities.

    Europe After 8:15|H. L. Mencken, George Jean Nathan and Willard Huntington Wright

  • Never since my school-boy days have I loved so well as now the hilarities of life.

    The Abominations of Modern Society|Rev. T. De Witt Talmage

British Dictionary definitions for hilarity

hilarity
/ (hɪˈlærɪtɪ) /
noun
mirth and merriment; cheerfulness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK