fun
- 01 A1 Beginner
adj.describing someone or something that is enjoyable or amusing.
adj.describing an experience, person, or activity that provides amusement or pleasure.
Simple“We had a really fun evening watching old movies together.”
In context“She is a very fun person to travel with because she is always open to trying new and spontaneous activities.”
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse 'fun' (enjoyable) with 'funny' (humorous/makes you laugh).
PitfallThe movie was very funny, I enjoyed the story. The movie was very fun, I enjoyed the story.Use 'fun' for something enjoyable and 'funny' for something that makes you laugh.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
v.to joke with someone or tease them in a friendly way.
v.to tease, kid, or make lighthearted fun of someone.
Simple“Don't get angry; I was only funning you about your new haircut.”
In context“He was merely funning when he suggested the meeting was cancelled, though his deadpan delivery fooled several colleagues.”
UsageOften used in the progressive form 'funning'.
fun vs funny — Fun describes an enjoyable experience, while funny describes something that causes laughter or seems strange.
From Middle English fonne, fon (“foolish, simple, silly”) or fonnen (“make a fool of”), from Middle English fonne (“a fool, dupe”), probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish fånig (“foolish”), Swedish fåne (“a fool”), from Old Norse fáni (“vain person, swaggerer”), but of unknown ultimate origin. Perhaps related to or influenced by fjäll (“rock, cliff, mountain”). Compare also English fumble, Norwegian Nynorsk fomme (“clumsy fool”). Compare also Norwegian fomme, fume (“a fool”). More at fon, fond. As a noun, fun is recorded from 1700, with a meaning “a cheat, trick, hoax”, from a verb fun meaning “to cheat, trick” (1680s). The meaning “diversion, amusement” dates to the 1720s. The older meaning is preserved in the phrase to make fun of (1737) and in usage of the adjective funny. The use of fun as adjective is newest and is due to reanalysis of the noun; this was incipient in the mid-19th century. Alternative etymology connected Middle English fonne with Old Frisian fonna, fone, fomne, variant forms of fāmne, fēmne (“young woman, virgin”), from Proto-West Germanic faimnijā, from Proto-Germanic faimnijǭ (“maiden”), from Proto-Indo-European peymen- (“girl”), poymen- (“breast milk”). If so, then cognate with Old English fǣmne (“maid, virgin, damsel, bride”), West Frisian famke (“girl”), Saterland Frisian fone, fon (“woman, maid, servant," also "weakling, simpleton”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.