HUMOROUS Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'humorous' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of humorous are facetious , jocose , jocular , and witty . While all these words mean "provoking or intended to provoke laughter," humorous applies broadly to anything that evokes usually genial laughter and may contrast with witty in suggesting whimsicality or eccentricity. // humorous anecdotes

Q: In what contexts can 'facetious' take the place of 'humorous'?

While the synonyms facetious and humorous are close in meaning, facetious stresses a desire to produce laughter and may be derogatory in implying dubious or ill-timed attempts at wit or humor. // facetious comments

Q: How are the words 'jocose' and 'facetious' related as synonyms of 'humorous'?

Jocose is somewhat less derogatory than facetious in suggesting habitual waggishness or playfulness. // jocose proposals

Q: When might 'jocular' be a better fit than 'humorous'?

The synonyms jocular and humorous are sometimes interchangeable, but jocular implies a usually habitual fondness for jesting and joking. // a jocular fellow

Q: When is 'witty' a more appropriate choice than 'humorous'?

Although the words witty and humorous have much in common, witty suggests cleverness and quickness of mind. // a witty remark

humorous

adjective

ˈhyüm-rəs

Definition of humorous

as in funny

causing or intended to cause laughter the humorous moments in an otherwise somber affair "most humorous costume" went to the girl dressed as Little Bo Peep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in witty

given to or marked by mature intelligent humor the movie's a humorous look at love and marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word humorous distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of humorous are facetious, jocose, jocular, and witty. While all these words mean "provoking or intended to provoke laughter," humorous applies broadly to anything that evokes usually genial laughter and may contrast with witty in suggesting whimsicality or eccentricity.

humorous anecdotes

In what contexts can facetious take the place of humorous?

While the synonyms facetious and humorous are close in meaning, facetious stresses a desire to produce laughter and may be derogatory in implying dubious or ill-timed attempts at wit or humor.

facetious comments

How are the words jocose and facetious related as synonyms of humorous?

Jocose is somewhat less derogatory than facetious in suggesting habitual waggishness or playfulness.

jocose proposals

When might jocular be a better fit than humorous?

The synonyms jocular and humorous are sometimes interchangeable, but jocular implies a usually habitual fondness for jesting and joking.

a jocular fellow

When is witty a more appropriate choice than humorous?

Although the words witty and humorous have much in common, witty suggests cleverness and quickness of mind.

a witty remark

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of humorous The request, which Seaver shared in the family’s full death announcement⁠, offered a characteristically humorous final image from Parton and further illustrated the trust between the singer and her nephew. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 Exclusives include Wouters & Hendrix, a 42-year-old brand based in Antwerp that specializes in organic, surreal and often humorous designs. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026 Why do some humorous attempts land perfectly while others fail? — Norbert Schwarz, Harvard Business Review, 14 Sep. 2026 Forte recounted the humorous misstep while returning to Late Night in 2026. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 12 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for humorous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for humorous

Adjective

And Widow’s Bay was, of course, very successful at alternating between scary and funny bits.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Ashton was charming, funny, ridiculously handsome, and fascinated by all things tech.

— Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of funny

Adjective

Beneath his commentary on trending topics and crowd interactions are anecdotes inspired by Brookzz’s family and his personal life, giving the debut a hint of intimacy and a glimpse into the man behind the charming grin and witty quips.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Yet, the show is neither witty enough to be funny nor serious enough to become engrossing.

— Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of witty

Adjective

Directed by Shen Chunyang and written by Ma Duo, the satirical family feature stars real-life comedic couple Shen Chunyang and Xiao Shenyang alongside Jia Bing and Yu Yang.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Artificial is pointedly funnier than his other work, including a large comedic performance by Ike Barinholtz as Musk, even as an existential dread permeates.

— E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of comedic

Adjective

By upgrading synthetic skin from a passive sensor into an energy harvester, the Fudan team offers a clever alternative to deadweight batteries.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
Halloween is sneaking up frighteningly fast, which means the window for coming up with a genuinely clever costume is closing at an alarming rate.

— Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of clever

Adjective

Soon, though, Sutskever also catches the eye of Altman and his partner Elon Musk (an amusing Ike Barinholtz, nailing him).

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 Oct. 2026
There's a tricky tonal balance in treating the lawyers' gasp-inducing ruthlessness as entertaining and even amusing while also allowing its consequences to be clear.

— Linda Holmes, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of amusing

Adjective

Here, visitors make their way through an exhibition featuring waif Alberto Giacometti sculptures, a room full of Picassos, Fischli/Weiss’s comical sculpture Animal (1986), and more.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
With Apatow at the helm, the chat took some comical turns, as might be expected, and also some unusually revealing ones, as Apatow getting McCartney to loosen up provided some real personal asides as well as screwball dialogue.

— Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of comical

Adjective

Through much of the novel, Fee will attempt to make his own story one of such comic-book heroism, to take on the mantle of savior.

— Garth Greenwell, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
Sources say Rich’s script was more broadly comic than Guadagnino’s darkly funny final film.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of comic

Adjective

Douglas, 82, has just published an incredibly dishy, wildly entertaining, at times both hilarious and painful new memoir, One Helluva Ride.

— Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
The standout among the entertaining spaces is the baby-blue kitchen, which extends from the rear of the home into a rounded turret overlooking a ravine.

— Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of entertaining

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“Humorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humorous. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of humorous

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