humorous

UK: /ˈhjuːmərəs/

US: /ˈhjumərəs/

US: (hyo̅o̅′mər əs or, often, yo̅o̅′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

hu•mor•ous¹ /ˈhyumərəs/   adj. 

1. having humor;
   funny;
   comical:
   a humorous little story.
2. having the ability to make people laugh:
   a humorous person.

hu•mor•ous•ly, adv. 
hu•mor•ous•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

hu•mor•ous¹  (hyo̅o̅′mər əs or, often, yo̅o̅′-), adj. 

1. characterized by humor;
   funny;
   comical:
   a humorous anecdote.
2. having or showing the faculty of humor;
   droll;
   facetious:
   a humorous person.

• humor + -ous 1570–80

hu′mor•ous•ly, adv. 
hu′mor•ous•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 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

• 1, 2. solemn, sober, serious.

hu•mor•ous²  (hyo̅o̅′mər əs or, often, yo̅o̅′-), adj. 

1. [Archaic.] moist;
   wet.
2. 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/ adjective

1. funny; comical; amusing
2. displaying or creating humour
3. 
   another word for capricious

ˈhumorously adverb

ˈhumorousness noun