witty
Americanadjective
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wittier,
comparative
-
wittiest
superlative
-
possessing wit in speech or writing; amusingly clever in perception and expression.
a witty writer.
-
characterized by wit.
a witty remark.
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British Dialect. intelligent; clever
adjective
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characterized by clever humour or wit
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archaic intelligent or sensible
Synonym Usage
See humorous 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of witty
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English wittig originally, “wise”; see wit 1, -y 1
Explanation
A witty remark is clever and funny and timed just right. When you make such a remark, you are also considered to be witty. The adjective witty can be used to describe those quick little funny remarks that often demonstrate a sharp, biting humor delivered in a playful manner. Witty usually describes things that are off-the-cuff amusing, rather than remarks that are elaborate or carefully planned in advance. This adjective is usually used in a complimentary way, but, like its cousin clever, it can be used sarcastically, as when someone who doesn't appreciate your one-liners says, "Well, aren't we witty today."
Vocabulary lists containing witty
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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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.
See Examples For:
She is extremely knowledgeable but never allusive or witty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Will it capture Austen’s witty text and unforgettable scenes of yearning?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
He’s a witty and adventurous guide, wandering into side spurs of history, biography and travelogue, exploring snatches of verse along the way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Angela Jain, head of content at Disney+ EMEA, said Higgins' name was a "shortcut" for a tone that is "cheeky, fun, witty, and warm".
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“You are both wise and witty, Ophelia. Your words are saved and spent in good measure. Moreover, you are honest. I know you can be trusted not to gossip about my taste for romance.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
“Why should we follow the old ways? Were they so perfect as to leave no room for something bolder, tougher, wittier, more equal and more just?”
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2024
The show, directed by Gordon Greenberg, features a witty book by Jonathan A. Abrams and even wittier choreography by Lorin Latarro; there was a pre-Broadway production at the Old Globe in San Diego in 2018.
From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2024
Allen, as always, is comfortable in his fat suit, and as before, the television series is better than the movies were — just as silly but much wittier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2023
Other participants in the march included children and pensioners and everyone in between, with protesters engaging in good-natured competition over whose banner or placard was wittier.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 23, 2018
“Yes, very soon. He gave me a quiet hint; I told him he was mistaken; he asked my pardon and said no more. Cole does not want to be wiser or wittier than his neighbours.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Her visual recreation of the “Tropicoqueta” album cover onstage was one of the show’s wittiest moments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Ernst Lubitsch is best remembered today for directing some of the wittiest, sauciest Hollywood romantic comedies of the 1930s and ’40s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
Australian-British author of the 1979 novel Puberty Blues, Kathy Lette, remembered Sir Tom as "one of the wittiest people I ever met".
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2025
But its core remains the slow-aborning affection between Beatrice and Benedick, whose shared gifts for wordplay mark them out as the wittiest and liveliest people in the room.
From New York Times ● Sep. 1, 2022
Miss Matilda Maddox, you are the wittiest, most fascinating flower to bloom in Baltimore in years.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
