funny

1 of 2

adjective

fun·​ny ˈfə-nē How to pronounce funny (audio)
funnier; funniest
1
a
: affording light mirth and laughter : amusing
His account of the war came in bits and pieces, sometimes bloody, sometimes funny.Robert Penn Warren
b
: seeking or intended to amuse : facetious
Don't take him so seriously; he was just being funny.
2
: differing from the ordinary in a suspicious, perplexing, quaint, or eccentric way : peculiar
My car has been making a funny noise.
often used as a sentence modifier
Funny, things didn't turn out the way we planned.
3
: involving trickery or deception
told his prisoner not to try anything funny
funnily adverb
funniness noun
funny adverb

funny

2 of 2

noun

plural funnies
1
: one that is funny
especially : joke
2
funnies plural : comic strips or the comic section of a periodical
usually used with the

Examples of funny in a Sentence

Adjective He told a funny story. He's a very funny guy. What are you laughing at? There's nothing funny about it. There's something funny going on here. She has some funny ideas about how to run a company. “I can't find my keys.” “That's funny—they were here a minute ago.” My car has been making a funny noise lately. A funny thing happened to me the other day. It feels funny to be back here again. It's funny that you should say that—I was just thinking the same thing myself. Noun reading the Sunday funnies is part of my weekend ritual let's can the funnies—we've got serious work to do here
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
So: Is Kevin Hart funny? Comics such as Keith Robinson, Patrice O’Neal and Dave Attell thought so. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 From funny Easter bunny antics and paw print cookies to a hip-hoppity trail, these clever Easter Bunny ideas are sure to make your little bunny's Easter extra special. Laura Fenton, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 People don’t know how to be funny and intimate and any of these things with each other. Marianne Garvey, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 The production design is terrific, as if Pedro Almodóvar decided to share his palette of popping colors, and the cast is impeccable, but nothing here ever feels sufficiently sharp, sophisticated or simply funny. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 For over a decade he’s published award-winning and beloved short stories set mostly in small-town western Ireland—darkly funny tales of close-knit but not always kind communities. Hazlitt, 20 Mar. 2024 Earl Sweatshirt’s there, Prince is there, and funny enough, Mac DeMarco is also up there. Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 20 Mar. 2024 Magnussen is fun as a character both spoiled and long-suffering; Arturo Castro is funny as a goofball biker who’s always the last to be let in on the gang’s plans. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 One of the Good Ones is the type of writing both theater and television could use more of — genuinely funny, topical, and heartfelt without feeling preachy or overly sentimental. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
The point is that the episode has arguably the highest throwaway-gag-per-minute ratio of any Simpsons, and all of them are laugh-out-loud funny. EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 What is becoming professionally demoralizing to her lately, though, is the sense that female artists are being removed from America’s comics pages as several newspaper chains have consolidated or contracted their print funnies in recent years. Michael Cavna, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Ahead of the play’s opening night on Sunday, Calderón Kellett had a candid chat with The Times about writing Latino characters who are thriving, learning about theater from Norman Lear and making even the toughest conversations laugh-out-loud funny. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024 The Vince Staples Show is frequently laugh-out-loud funny, but there’s a hardness to it — and the series’ protagonist — that feels both unexpected and authentic. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 15 Feb. 2024 At last year’s inaugural event in Kansas City, the readings ranged from laugh-out-loud funny to heart-rending reports about bullying. Bill Brownlee, Kansas City Star, 30 Jan. 2024 The primary colors of Johns’ target collide with the printing press of the Sunday funnies. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2023 Hop to the comments to share your Easter funnies. Erin Cavoto, Country Living, 22 Mar. 2023 Many readers found Caity’s self-deprecating tone in the article funny, and others commented that the van life wasn’t supposed to be glamorous. New York Times, 4 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'funny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1739, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of funny was in 1739

Dictionary Entries Near funny

Cite this Entry

“Funny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/funny. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

funny

1 of 2 adjective
fun·​ny ˈfən-ē How to pronounce funny (audio)
funnier; funniest
1
: causing or intended to cause laughter
a funny story
2
: different from ordinary in a way that is odd, curious, or suspicious
it's funny you should ask
that's funny—they were here yesterday
there's something funny going on
3
: involving trickery
don't try anything funny
funnily adverb
funniness noun
funny adverb

funny

2 of 2 noun
plural funnies
1
: one that is funny
especially : joke entry 1 sense 1
2
plural : comic strips or the comic section of a newspaper
usually used with the

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