: pleasantly entertained or diverted (as by something funny)
She seemed slightly amused by his explanation.
: feeling or showing amusement
an amused smile
a crowd of amused spectators
I had often heard him speaking to her in an amused, confiding voice …Paula Fox
amusedly adjective
… she looked up into our curious faces and smiled amusedly and sweetly, as only a woman can smile … Jack London

Examples of amused in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Tour pro Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, seemed more amused than upset. Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan stage and shoot said home invasion like a Jacques Tati sequence — that is to say, from an amused, ironic distance that watches humans squirm and scramble without intervention. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025 But as the incidents racked up, players started to be less amused. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025 But amused fans of both Android and iOS had plenty to say. Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for amused

Word History

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amused was in 1728

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Cite this Entry

“Amused.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amused. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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