humorous

English

Etymology

From Middle English humorous (compare Medieval Latin hūmorōsus), equivalent to humor +‎ -ous.

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: hyo͞o'mərəs, IPA^(key): /ˈhjuːməɹəs/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈhjuːməɹɪs/
• Rhymes: (UK) -uːməɹəs
• Homophone: humerus

Adjective

humorous (comparative more humorous, superlative most humorous)

1. Full of humor or arousing laughter; funny.

   The waiters were so humorous - one even did a backflip for us, when we asked him.

2. Showing humor; witty, jocular.
3. (obsolete) Damp or watery.
4. (obsolete) Dependent on or caused by one's humour or mood; capricious, whimsical.
   • c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], lines 380-83:

     [S]uch is now the Duke's condition
     That he misconstrues all that you have done.
     The Duke is humorous; what he is, indeed,
     More suits you to conceive than I to speak of.

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of the affection of fathers to their children”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 212:

     It is a melancholy humor […] that firſt put this humorous conceipt [translating resverie] of writing into my head.

   • 1861, Elizabeth Gaskell, The Grey Woman:

     I felt at this time as if I could have been fond of him too, if he would have let me; but I was timid from my childhood, and before long my dread of his displeasure […] conquered my humorous inclination to love one who was so handsome, so accomplished, so indulgent and devoted.

Usage notes

• While the spelling humour is preferred over humor in British English, humorous is standard in both American and British English, and humourous is nonstandard.

Synonyms

• (arousing laughter): amusing, funny
• (witty): amusing, jocular, witty
• See also Thesaurus:funny
• See also Thesaurus:witty

Derived terms

• humorously

Related terms

• humor, humour

Translations

full of humor or arousing laughter; funny

• Afrikaans: snaaks (af)
• Bulgarian: хумористичен (bg) (humorističen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幽默 (zh) (yōumò)

• Czech: vtipný (cs)
• Dutch: humoristisch (nl)
• Esperanto: humura
• Finnish: humoristinen (fi)
• French: humoristique (fr), amusant (fr)
• Galician: humorístico (gl) m
• German: humorvoll (de)
• Greek: αστείος (el) m (asteíos), κωμικός (el) m (komikós)
• Indonesian: kelakar (id)
• Irish: greannmhar
• Italian: umoristico (it), divertente (it), esilarante (it)
• Japanese: ユーモラス (ja) (yūmorasu), こっけい (ja) (kokkei), ユーモアのある (ja) (yūmoa no aru)
• Latin: ridiculus (la), iocularis (la)
• Latvian: jocīgs, smieklīgs
• Maltese: tad-daħk
• Maori: pukuhohe
• Marathi: मजेशीर (majeśīr), विनोदी (vinodī)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: humoristisk (no)

  Nynorsk: humoristisk

• Portuguese: humorístico (pt)
• Romanian: umoristic (ro), hazliu (ro)
• Russian: юмористи́ческий (ru) (jumoristíčeskij), заба́вный (ru) (zabávnyj), смешно́й (ru) (smešnój)
• Spanish: divertido (es), gracioso (es)
• Tagalog: mabalantong, nakatatawa

showing humor; witty, jocular

• Bulgarian: смешен (bg) (smešen), комичен (bg) (komičen)
• Finnish: humoristinen (fi), vitsikäs (fi)
• German: humorvoll (de)
• Greek: αστείος (el) m (asteíos), ευτράπελος (el) m (eftrápelos), πνευματώδης (el) m (pnevmatódis), χιουμοριστικός (el) (chioumoristikós)
• Ingrian: šuutkikas, naljakas
• Spanish: cómico (es), chistoso (es), humorístico
• Tagalog: mabalantong