Funny — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈfə-nē/ fun·ny

Meaning & Definition of Funny

Funny (adjective)

  1. causing light mirth and laughter, amusing
  2. seeking or intended to amuse, facetious
  3. differing from the ordinary in a suspicious, perplexing, quaint, or eccentric way, peculiar —often used as a sentence modifier

Funny (noun)

  1. one that is funny; especially, joke
  2. comic strips or the comic section of a periodical —usually used with the

Funny (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. causing or intended to cause laughter

    "a very funny movie that had audiences rolling in the aisles"

    similar: antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic, humorous, hysterical, killing, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious
    related: amusing, diverting, entertaining, clownish, knockabout, slapstick, slapsticky, zany, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, snickery, jocular, playful, waggish, campy, jokey, priceless, rich, whimsical, witty, wry, blithesome, gleeful, jocose, jocund, jolly, jovial, laughing, mad, merry, mirthful
    opposite: humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical
    near: earnest, grave, no-nonsense, sedate, serious, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber, staid, unsmiling, weighty, affecting, moving, poignant, touching, tragic, lachrymose, mournful, sad, sorrowful, tearful, woeful

  2. different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion

    "that's funny, for I could have sworn I put my keys right here yesterday"

    similar: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, kinky, kooky, odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way, outlandish, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum (chiefly British), screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky, way-out, weird, weirdo, wild
    related: aberrant, abnormal, addlepated, flaky, extraordinary, fantastic, freak, freakish, freaky, phantasmagoric, phenomenal, atypical, rare, singular, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, unwonted, conspicuous, notable, noticeable, outstanding, prominent, salient, striking, atrocious, outrageous, shocking, crotchety, idiosyncratic, nonconformist, nonmainstream, out-there, unconventional, unorthodox, baffling, bewildering, confounding, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
    near: average, commonplace, everyday, garden, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday, conformist, conservative, conventional, expected, familiar, knee-jerk, predictable, common, customary, frequent, habitual, regular, wonted

  3. noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced

    "that's a funny-looking dog—what kind is it?"

    similar: curious, extraordinary, odd, offbeat, out-of-the-way, peculiar, queer, rare, singular, strange, unaccustomed, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, weird
    related: bizarre, eccentric, far-out, kooky, oddball, outlandish, outré, way-out, aberrant, abnormal, atypical, exceptional, irregular, newsworthy, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, particular, remarkable, special
    opposite: common, ordinary, plain, usual
    near: unexceptional, expected, predictable, familiar, normal, regular, typical

Funny (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a series of drawings that tell a story or part of a story

    "reading the Sunday funnies is part of my weekend ritual"

    similar: cartoon, comic, comic strip, strip
    related: comic book, funny paper(s), graphic novel, animated cartoon, animation, caricature

  2. something said or done to cause laughter

    "let's can the funnies—we've got serious work to do here"

    similar: boff, boffola, crack, drollery, gag, giggle (chiefly British), jape, jest, joke, josh, laugh, nifty, one-liner, pleasantry, quip, rib, sally, waggery, wisecrack, witticism, yuk (slang)
    related: funning, joking, wisecracking, knee-slapper, panic (slang), riot, scream, thigh-slapper, antic, buffoonery, caper, leg-pull, monkeyshine(s), practical joke, prank, trick, burlesque, caricature, lampoon, mock, mockery, parody, put-on, riff, banter, kidding, persiflage, raillery, repartee, drollness, facetiousness, funniness, hilariousness, humorousness, comedy, humor, wit, wordplay

Related Entry: Funny paper(s) (noun)

Funny paper(s) is a different word from Funny. The synonyms below are for funny paper(s), not for funny.

  1. as in comic book, graphic novel

    similar: comic book, graphic novel, cartoon, comic, comic strip, funny, strip, animated cartoon, animation, caricature

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Funny

The most common words with a similar meaning to Funny:

Chiefly British: rum, giggle
Slang: yuk
antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic, humorous, hysterical, killing, laughable, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious, bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, kinky, kooky, odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way, outlandish, outré, peculiar, quaint

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Funny

Words with the opposite meaning of Funny:

humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical, common, ordinary, plain, usual

Related Words for Funny

amusing, diverting, entertaining, clownish, knockabout, slapstick, slapsticky, zany, facetious, flip, flippant, pert, smart, smart-aleck, smart-alecky, snickery, jocular, playful, waggish, campy, jokey, priceless, rich, whimsical, witty, wry, blithesome, gleeful, jocose, jocund

Near Antonyms of Funny

earnest, grave, no-nonsense, sedate, serious, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber, staid, unsmiling, weighty, affecting, moving, poignant, touching, tragic, lachrymose, mournful, sad, sorrowful, tearful, woeful, average, commonplace, everyday, garden, normal, prosaic

Word Forms of Funny

Inflections: funnier, funniest, funnies

Derived words: funnily (adverb), funniness (noun), funny (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Funny

First known use: 1739

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Funny

Words & Phrases Containing Funny

funny bone, funny book, funny business, funny car, funny farm, funny money, funny papers, the funny farm

Frequently Asked Questions about Funny

What does "Funny" mean?

"Funny" means causing light mirth and laughter, amusing. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: causing light mirth and laughter, amusing. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Funny"?

Other words for "Funny" include antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical and hilarious. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Funny" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Funny"?

There are 205 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Funny". Common alternatives include antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic and humorous.

What is the opposite of "Funny"?

Antonyms of "Funny" include humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical and common. Near antonyms include earnest, grave, no-nonsense and sedate.

How do you use "Funny" in a sentence?

Examples of "Funny" in a sentence: "a very funny movie that had audiences rolling in the aisles"; "that's funny, for I could have sworn I put my keys right here yesterday"; "that's a funny-looking dog—what kind is it?".

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

"Funny" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

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

As an A1-level word, "Funny" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Funny"?

"Funny" is pronounced /ˈfə-nē/ and divided into syllables as fun·ny.