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humorous

1
[hyoo-mer-uhs or, often, yoo-]
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adjective
  1. characterized by humor; funny; comical: a humorous anecdote.
  2. having or showing the faculty of humor; droll; facetious: a humorous person.
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Origin of humorous

1
First recorded in 1570–80; humor + -ous
Related formshu·mor·ous·ly, adverbhu·mor·ous·ness, noun

Synonyms for humorous

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1. ludicrous, laughable. 2. jocose, jocular, comic, comical. Humorous, witty, facetious, waggish imply something that arises from cleverness or a sense of fun. Humorous implies a genuine sense of fun and the comic, impersonal, or gently personal: a humorous version of an incident; a humorous view of life. Witty implies quickness to perceive the amusing, striking, or unusual and to express it cleverly and entertainingly; it sometimes becomes rather sharp and unkind, particularly in quick repartee of a personal nature: a witty and interesting companion; to be witty at someone else's expense. Facetious suggests a desire or attempt to be jocular or witty but not to be taken seriously: a facetious remark. Waggish suggests the spirit of sly mischief and roguery of the constant joker, with no harm intended: a waggish good humor.

Antonyms for humorous

1, 2. solemn, sober, serious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for humorously

jokingly, amusingly, merrily, ridiculously, absurdly, facetiously, ironically, jocosely, jovially, ludicrously, playfully, satirically

Examples from the Web for humorously

Contemporary Examples of humorously

Historical Examples of humorously

  • "It is a good thing to have a rich son," said Captain Rushton, humorously.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • Once she had humorously lamented that she had never been to Simpson's restaurant in the Strand.

    Howards End

    E. M. Forster

  • She had bright, humorously satirical eyes; and her mouth was large.

    The Prisoner

    Alice Brown

  • In repose, his congested face had a humorously melancholy expression.

    Chance

    Joseph Conrad

  • "Perhaps she will elope," the doctor said to his wife, humorously.

    The Man Who Wins

    Robert Herrick

British Dictionary definitions for humorously

humorous

adjective
  1. funny; comical; amusing
  2. displaying or creating humour
  3. archaic another word for capricious
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Derived Formshumorously, adverbhumorousness, noun
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

Word Origin and History for humorously

humorous

adj.

early 15c., "relating to the body humors," a native formation from humor, or else from Middle French humoreux "damp," from Old French humor (see humor (n.)). The meaning "funny" dates from 1705 in English. Related: Humorously; humorousness.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper