# hilarious

/hɪˈɫɛɹiəs/ (US) · /hɪlˈeəɹɪəs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hilarious
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. extremely funny

adjective · CEFR B2

extremely funny; something that makes you laugh out loud.

For teachers: extremely amusing or funny; as an extreme adjective, it is typically modified by 'absolutely' rather than 'very'.

- The comedian told a hilarious story about his first day at work.
- The play was absolutely hilarious, with the audience frequently erupting into spontaneous laughter at the lead actor's physical comedy.

Usage: Usually functions as a non-gradable adjective; it is more common in spoken English and informal writing than in academic contexts.

Teaching tip: Learners often over-use 'very' with this word; remind them that 'hilarious' is already at the top of the 'funny' scale.

## Examples

- The comedian told a hilarious story about his cat.
- We spent the entire dinner laughing because my brother's travel stories were absolutely hilarious.
- The play's success relies on a series of hilarious misunderstandings that escalate until the final curtain falls on a scene of total chaos.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.