- funny; comical; amusing
- displaying or creating humour
- archaic
another word for capricious
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
hu•mor•ous1 /ˈhyumərəs/USA pronunciation
adj.
hu•mor•ous•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- having humor;
funny;
comical:a humorous little story. - having the ability to make people laugh:a humorous person.
hu•mor•ous•ness, n. [uncountable]
hu•mor•ous1
(hyo̅o̅′mər əs or, often, yo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation adj.
hu′mor•ous•ly, adv.
hu′mor•ous•ness, n.
hu•mor•ous2 (hyo̅o̅′mər əs or, often, yo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation adj.
- characterized by humor;
funny;
comical:a humorous anecdote. - having or showing the faculty of humor;
droll;
facetious:a humorous person.
- humor + -ous 1570–80
hu′mor•ous•ness, n.
- 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.
- 1. 2. solemn, sober, serious.
hu•mor•ous2 (hyo̅o̅′mər əs or, often, yo̅o̅′-),USA pronunciation adj.
- [Archaic.]moist;
wet. - pertaining or due to the bodily humors.
- Late Latin (h)ūmōrōsus; see humor, -ous
- late Middle English 1375–1425
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
humorous /ˈhjuːmərəs/ adj
'humorous' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
AC/DC
- ad-lib
- Alarcón
- bawdy
- Bierce
- bugger
- cartoon
- catch
- comedy
- comic
- comic strip
- Daudet
- facetiae
- farce
- funny
- gag
- gammer
- Gilbert
- gin rummy
- handbag
- Holmes
- Hood
- humorist
- humour
- Ibert
- irony
- jeroboam
- Jerome
- jocund
- joke
- Leacock
- Liverpudlian
- Marquis
- mud
- Nash
- old
- Parker
- parody
- Perelman
- petticoat
- playful
- pleasantry
- Potter
- pun
- punchline
- ribald
- Rogers
- Runyon
- Saint-Saëns
- ain't