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humorous

adjective
hu·​mor·​ous | \ ˈhyüm-rÉ™s How to pronounce humorous (audio) , ˈyüm-, ˈhyü-mÉ™-, ˈyü-\

Definition of humorous

1a : full of or characterized by that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous : full of or characterized by humor : funny humorous stories shared a humorous anecdote
b : possessing, indicating, or expressive of an ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny : possessing, indicating, or expressive of a sense of humor a humorous writer studied his own life … with a shrewd and humorous eye— Harrison Smith
2 obsolete : humid
Other Words from humorous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about humorous

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Other Words from humorous

humorously adverb
humorousness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for humorous

witty, humorous, facetious, jocular, jocose mean provoking or intended to provoke laughter. witty suggests cleverness and quickness of mind. a witty remark humorous applies broadly to anything that evokes usually genial laughter and may contrast with witty in suggesting whimsicality or eccentricity. humorous anecdotes facetious stresses a desire to produce laughter and may be derogatory in implying dubious or ill-timed attempts at wit or humor. facetious comments jocular implies a usually habitual fondness for jesting and joking. a jocular fellow jocose is somewhat less derogatory than facetious in suggesting habitual waggishness or playfulness. jocose proposals

Examples of humorous in a Sentence

The book is very humorous. the humorous moments in an otherwise somber affair

Recent Examples on the Web

 Recently, someone encouraged Pina to post a video of his thumb to TikTok, which has become the go-to space for creating and sharing humorous video clips with music. — Steve Annear, BostonGlobe.com, "‘It’s real, dude’: Westport resident’s long thumb has made him famous on social media," 5 Sep. 2019 The life of American poet Emily Dickinson doesn't exactly scream comedy gold, but that didn't stop Apple TV+ from ordering Dickinson, a humorous new series about the 19th-century writer. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Hailee Steinfeld Will Star as Emily Dickinson in the New Comedy Dickinson," 26 Aug. 2019 Comedian and magician Robert Nash will entertain young and old alike with magical effects, humorous banter and a funny fortune. — Donna Freedman, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska State Fair 2019: Fun from A to Z," 15 Aug. 2019 However, the young comedy scene in India has not matured enough to offer a humorous critique of the social system that Dalit humour easily lives off. — Suraj Yengde, Quartz India, "In the politically impotent Indian comedy scene, Dalit humour is a class apart," 8 Aug. 2019 After days of speculation that the couple had broken up after two years of dating, the actors took to Instagram, writing humorous captions to deny the speculation. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Cole Sprouse Reveals How He Really Felt About Those Lili Reinhart Breakup Rumors," 7 Aug. 2019 Brimming with comedic talent, Erin Koch effectively enhanced the humorous tones of the show. — Brooke Coughlan, Cincinnati.com, "Cappies reviews for 'Godspell' by Roger Bacon High School," 22 July 2019 Recommendations included strengthening hate speech policies around national origin, enforcing a stricter ban on the promotion of white supremacy and removing an exemption that had allowed humorous posts that contained offensive content. — Ariana Tobin, ProPublica, "Civil Rights Groups Have Been Warning Facebook About Hate Speech In Secret Groups For Years," 2 July 2019 For many Conservative members, Mr. Johnson’s humorous fallibility is his greatest strength. — Max Colchester, WSJ, "Tories Pin Brexit Hopes on Boris Johnson, Blunders and All," 28 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'humorous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of humorous

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

History and Etymology for humorous

see humor entry 1

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More Definitions for humorous

humorous

adjective
How to pronounce humorous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of humorous

: causing laughter

See the full definition for humorous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

humorous

adjective
hu·​mor·​ous | \ ˈhyü-mÉ™-rÉ™s How to pronounce humorous (audio) , ˈyü-\

Kids Definition of humorous

: full of humor : funny

Other Words from humorous

humorously adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on humorous

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with humorous

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