humorist

[ hyoo-mer-ist or, often, yoo- ]

/ ˈhyu mər ɪst or, often, ˈyu- /

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noun

a person who is skillful in the use of humor, as in writing, talking, or acting.

a person with an active sense of humor.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of humorist

First recorded in 1580–1590; from French humoriste “capricious person,” equivalent to humour (from English ) + -iste noun suffix; see origin at humor, -ist; compare Italian (h)umorista “capricious, subject to humors”

OTHER WORDS FROM humorist

hu·mor·is·tic, hu·mor·is·ti·cal, adjective

Words nearby humorist

humor, humoral, humoral immune response, humoral immunity, humoresque, humorist, humorous, humour, humoursome, hump, humpback

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use humorist in a sentence

Marshall’s only thwarted ambition, Adams and others say, was to become a successful humorist, a Will Rogers type or a comedy writer for Letterman.
The Funny Man|jversteegh|January 11, 2022|Outside Online
The same could be said for the wits and humorists that preceded him, such as Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Ring Lardner.
S.J. Perelman was a master of comedy. Nearly a century later, his work still delivers laughs.|Donald Liebenson|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
More than a century ago, the humorist Finley Peter Dunne quipped sarcastically that the “Supreme Court follows the election returns.”
Beyond Court Packing: The Supreme Court Has Always Been Political|James D. Zirin|November 2, 2020|Time
The legendary libertarian humorist is joining The Daily Beast as a weekly columnist.
P.J. O’Rourke Joins The Daily Beast||December 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The Pulitzer Prize–winning humorist agreed to cover the London Olympics and the two political conventions.
John Avlon’s Picks for 12 Best Opinion Columns of 2012|John Avlon|December 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
David Rakoff, 47 (Nov. 27, 1964, to Aug. 9, 2012) The humorist and journalist died in New York after a long battle with cancer.
Remembering Writers Who Left Us in 2012|The Daily Beast|December 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Just as a humorist in general, as an author, I was a huge fan.
Diablo Cody on How Nora Ephron Blazed a Trail for Female Filmmakers|Marlow Stern|June 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The famed writer, filmmaker, and humorist Nora Ephron died on June 26 at the age of 71 from leukemia.
Nora Ephron, Dead at 71, Remembered for Wit and Wisdom|Nancy Hass|June 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The humorist and satirist lost no opportunity of deriding the new fashion and its followers.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Then a humorist told some of his own funny stories and an elocutionist recited a bit from Shakespeare effectively.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
"He is the great unconscious humorist of modern art, also a great etcher," said Isabel, dryly.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
We possessed about sixty drawings, sketches, aquarelles of this humorist, and we gave some of them to the poet.
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier
The air was dark with flying cushions, and darker still, occasionally, when the usual humorist turned the gas out.
The Gold Bat|P. G. Wodehouse

British Dictionary definitions for humorist

humorist

/ (ˈhjuːmərɪst) /

noun

a person who acts, speaks, or writes in a humorous way

Derived forms of humorist

humoristic, adjective

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

humorist

Origin of humorist

OTHER WORDS FROM humorist

Words nearby humorist

Words related to humorist

How to use humorist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for humorist

Derived forms of humorist