amusing

adjective

amus·​ing ə-ˈmyü-ziŋ How to pronounce amusing (audio)
: giving amusement : diverting
amusing twists to the story
amusing gadgets to play with
an amusing performance
amusingly adverb
amusingness noun

Examples of amusing in a Sentence

He's one of the most amusing people I know. It was amusing to hear her tell the story.
Recent Examples on the Web And as the story hurtles toward 1970 (there’s a highly amusing space-race subplot), the powdery, gauzy town of Palm Beach becomes louder, zanier, and more outlandish—with preppy Lilly Pulitzer swapped out for psychedelic Pucci. Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024 The more amusing newcomers include Kumail Nanjiani as Nadeem, who sets the events in motion by unwittingly selling the orb containing the vengeful god; Patton Oswalt as a library researcher who gleefully provides helpful information; and James Acaster as Lars, a droll scientist in Winston’s lab. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024 There are some genuinely terrific moments between women wherein an adversarial exchange collapses into exhausted and amusing intimacy. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 The songs, previously light and amusing, become thick and grating, and the dances, by Raja Feather Kelly, become trudges. Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Hitchcock on speed: Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic works are ripe for satire, and one of the most consistently amusing of these is getting a new production by San Francisco Playhouse. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 The result is an interesting misfire, yielding a few amusing moments while adding up to considerably less than the sum of its parts. Brian Lowry, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 Innovative, highly amusing and often touching, this collaborative project, competing in the documentary feature strand at SXSW, takes place entirely within the open game world of Grant Theft Auto Online. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 She is filled with amusing stories regarding clients trying to get around corkage policies during her time as wine director at Aureole, which offered no-fee corkage on Mondays. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of amuse

First Known Use

1676, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of amusing was in 1676

Dictionary Entries Near amusing

Cite this Entry

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

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