Amusing — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ə-ˈmyü-ziŋ/ amus·ing

Meaning & Definition of Amusing

Amusing (adjective)

  1. giving amusement, diverting

Amusing (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. providing amusement or enjoyment

    "Grandma told an amusing story about Dad when he was little"

    similar: delightful, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, fun, pleasurable
    related: agreeable, beguiling, nice, pleasant, satisfying, welcome, recreational, antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, humorous, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, sidesplitting, uproarious, blithesome, gay, gleeful, happy, jocose, jocund, jolly, jovial, merry, mirthful, sunny, exciting, stimulating, thrilling
    opposite: boring, drab, dreary, dull, flat, heavy, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, pleasureless, ponderous, stodgy, stuffy, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying
    near: disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, uncongenial, unlovely, unpleasant, unpleasing, unwelcome

Amusing (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied

    "the older girl amused her four-year-old sister at the family reunion by showing her off to all the relatives"

    similar: disporting, diverting, entertaining, regaling, solacing
    related: absorbing, busying, distracting, engaging, engrossing, immersing, interesting, involving, occupying, beguiling, bewitching, captivating, charming, delighting, enchanting, enthralling, fascinating, gripping, hypnotizing, intriguing, mesmerizing, coddling, gratifying, humoring, indulging, mollycoddling, pampering, pleasing, pleasuring, spoiling, appeasing, comforting, conciliating, consoling, contenting, mollifying, obliging, pacifying, placating, propitiating, soothing
    near: boring, jading, draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, tiring, wearing, wearing out, wearying, aggravating, annoying, bothering, bugging, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, fretting, galling, grating, harassing, harrying, irking, nettling, peeving, perturbing, pestering, piquing, upsetting, vexing

Related Entry: Amuse (verb)

Amuse is a different word from Amusing. The synonyms below are for amuse, not for amusing.

  1. to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied

    "the older girl amused her four-year-old sister at the family reunion by showing her off to all the relatives"

    similar: disport, divert, entertain, regale, solace
    related: absorb, busy, distract, engage, engross, immerse, interest, involve, occupy, beguile, bewitch, captivate, charm, delight, enchant, enthrall, fascinate, grip, hypnotize, intrigue, mesmerize, coddle, gratify, humor, indulge, mollycoddle, pamper, please, pleasure, spoil, appease, comfort, conciliate, console, content, mollify, oblige, pacify, placate, propitiate, soothe
    near: bore, jade, drain, enervate, exhaust, fatigue, tire, wear, wear out, weary, aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, disturb, exasperate, fret, gall, grate, harass, harry, irk, nettle, peeve, perturb, pester, pique, upset, vex

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Amusing

The most common words with a similar meaning to Amusing:

delightful, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, fun, pleasurable, disporting, regaling, solacing

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Amusing

Words with the opposite meaning of Amusing:

boring, drab, dreary, dull, flat, heavy, humdrum, jading, leaden, monotonous, pedestrian, pleasureless, ponderous, stodgy, stuffy, tedious, tiresome, tiring, uninteresting, wearisome, weary, wearying

Related Words for Amusing

agreeable, beguiling, nice, pleasant, satisfying, welcome, recreational, antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, humorous, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, sidesplitting, uproarious, blithesome, gay, gleeful, happy, jocose, jocund, jolly, jovial

Near Antonyms of Amusing

disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful, uncongenial, unlovely, unpleasant, unpleasing, unwelcome, draining, enervating, exhausting, fatiguing, wearing, wearing out, aggravating, annoying, bothering, bugging, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, fretting, galling, grating, harassing, harrying, irking, nettling, peeving, perturbing

Word Forms of Amusing

Derived words: amusingly (adverb), amusingness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Amusing

from present participle of amuse

First known use: 1676

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Amusing

Frequently Asked Questions about Amusing

What does "Amusing" mean?

"Amusing" means giving amusement, diverting. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: giving amusement, diverting. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Amusing"?

Other words for "Amusing" include delightful, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, fun, pleasurable, disporting and regaling. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Amusing" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Amusing"?

There are 85 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Amusing". Common alternatives include delightful, diverting, enjoyable, entertaining, fun, pleasurable, disporting, regaling and solacing.

What is the opposite of "Amusing"?

Antonyms of "Amusing" include boring, drab, dreary, dull, flat, heavy, humdrum and jading. Near antonyms include disagreeable, displeasing, distasteful and uncongenial.

How do you use "Amusing" in a sentence?

Examples of "Amusing" in a sentence: "Grandma told an amusing story about Dad when he was little"; "the older girl amused her four-year-old sister at the family reunion by showing her off to all the relatives".

Is "Amusing" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Amusing" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Amusing" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B2-level word, "Amusing" is typical of Cambridge B2 First (FCE), IELTS band 5.5–6.5, TOEFL iBT 72–94, PTE Academic 59–75, TOEIC Listening & Reading 785+.

How do you pronounce "Amusing"?

"Amusing" is pronounced /ə-ˈmyü-ziŋ/ and divided into syllables as amus·ing.