humorous
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
funny and enjoyable; something that makes you smile or laugh.
arousing laughter or amusement; characterized by humor or wit.
Simple“He told a humorous story about his first day at work that made everyone laugh.”
In context“The author's humorous observations about suburban life provide a lighthearted but accurate critique of modern social norms.”
PitfallThe movie was very humor. The movie was very humorous.Use the noun 'humor' for the quality itself, and the adjective 'humorous' to describe the thing that is funny.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
changing your mood or mind quickly for no clear reason.
subject to or indicative of a person's changing moods or whims.
Simple“In the old play, the king was a humorous man who changed his mind every hour.”
In context“The character's humorous nature was attributed to an imbalance of fluids, leading to sudden and unpredictable shifts in his temperament.”
UsageThis sense relates to the historical medical theory of the four humours.
Teacher's tipThis sense is archaic and rarely encountered outside of historical literature or academic discussions of medieval medicine.
SynonymsAntonyms
From Middle English humorous (compare Medieval Latin hūmorōsus), equivalent to humor + -ous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.