droll

adjective

\ ˈdrōl

How to pronounce droll (audio)

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Definition of droll

(Entry 1 of 3)

: having a humorous, whimsical, or odd quality his dignified presence decorated our droll little quarters— Gwendolyn Brooks

droll

noun

Definition of droll (Entry 2 of 3)

: an amusing person : jester, comedian

droll

verb

drolled; drolling; drolls

Definition of droll (Entry 3 of 3)

intransitive verb

archaic

: to make fun : jest, sport drolling a little upon the corporal— Laurence Sterne

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Examples of droll in a Sentence

Adjective a droll little man with a peculiar sense of humor a book of droll stories Noun the drolls of late-night TV had a field day with that senator's sexual shenanigans

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Naturally, not everyone is going to get along, but the relationships and rivalries never become overwhelming under the deft and droll pen of New York Times bestselling author and bookstore owner Emma Straub. — Rachel King, Fortune, "9 escapist reads that will make you feel like you’re traveling even though you can’t," 23 May 2020 Also there’s Joan Cusack, having a high, droll time of it as a Pentagon official giddy at the prospect of using the memory berry for all sorts of new and fabulous projects. — cleveland, "‘Homecoming’ review: Janelle Monae follows Julia Roberts down memory lane," 22 May 2020 Gavin’s an important white guy surrounded by important white people, and Good Fight keeps approaching the acquisition with droll cynicism. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "The Good Fight season 4 is loopy, paranoid, all over the place, and gripping: Review," 9 Apr. 2020 For all her caustic insight and droll portraiture, Wiener is on an earnest quest likely to resonate with a public that has been sleepwalking through tech’s gradual reshaping of society. — Ismail Muhammad, The Atlantic, "Inside Tech’s Fever Dream," 8 Feb. 2020 Conan’s back-and-forth with his celebrity guests is peppered with droll commentary from personal assistant Sona Movsesian and producer Matt Gourley. — Paige Hymson, latimes.com, "Play Next: From print to podcasts," 2 July 2019 The fourth feature by writer-director Tara Miele (anorexia drama Starving in Suburbia, as well as that viral short Meet a Muslim) is surprisingly droll at times, which is just as well because profound loss is right at the heart of the story. — Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Wander Darkly': Film Review | Sundance 2020," 5 Feb. 2020 Random House Copy editors, the unsung heroes of newsrooms everywhere, finally get their due in Random House copy chief Benjamin Dreyer’s droll but punctilious book. — Rachel King, Fortune, "The 10 Best Business Books of 2019," 1 Dec. 2019 This space is meant for droll or pointed ruminations on movies, television shows, music, Internet memes. — BostonGlobe.com, "A rogue’s gallery great and unmatched - The Boston Globe," 11 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The strength of this novel is the same as that of its predecessor — the probing, sensitive, educated and droll mind of its narrator, who perceives power dynamics that few examine. — Jenny Shank, Star Tribune, "Review: 'The Committed,' by Viet Thanh Nguyen," 26 Feb. 2021 Colin is taken under the wing of a droll, worldly colleague, Henry (Neil Patrick Harris), who takes mysteriously ill, becoming a stand-in for the generation of elders and mentors who would be lost to the plague. — New York Times, "It's a Sin," 17 Feb. 2021 Due to pandemic travel restrictions, suggests a droll tweet making the rounds, the U.S. has been reduced to sponsoring a coup in its own capital for a change. — Ahmed Tharwat, Star Tribune, "America thought coups were only an export product," 11 Jan. 2021 No, my memory calls him up as ‘Bill Rinehart’ – just ‘Bill Rinehart’ the droll, the witty, the tease, the black-board’s artist, at the old Priestland School. — Mary Ann Ashcraft, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Carroll Yesteryears: Glimpse at early life of sculptor William Henry Rinehart," 26 Dec. 2020 The droll singer-songwriter behind Magnetic Fields spices up the Christmas ballad in his typical way, mixing morbid wit with flashes of sentimentality. — Jody Rosen, Los Angeles Times, "The 50 best Christmas songs of the last 50 years," 14 Dec. 2020 Bellefleur has a droll, distinct voice, and her one-liners zing off the page, striking both the heart and funny bone. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Hot Stuff: November romances bring mischief, star-crossed lovers, and hot dukes," 4 Dec. 2020 His reaction was another example of his droll and often self-deprecating wit. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "Natan Sharansky and the Meaning of Freedom," 28 Nov. 2020 Rush’s laconic, droll, intelligent, yet mildly goofy manner has been imitated by folkies for half a century. — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, "Tom Rush back on the road, playing drive-up concert in Connecticut," 29 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'droll.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Droll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/droll. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for droll

droll

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of droll

: having an odd and amusing quality

See the full definition for droll in the English Language Learners Dictionary

droll

adjective

\ ˈdrōl

\

droller; drollest

Kids Definition of droll

: having an odd or amusing quality a droll expression

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