farcical

adjective

far·​ci·​cal ˈfär-si-kəl 

1

: of, relating to, or resembling farce (see farce entry 1 sense 1a) : ludicrous

the farcical parts of comedies

2

: laughably inept : absurd

farcical high jinks

farcicality

ˌfär-sə-ˈka-lə-tē 

noun

farcically

ˈfär-si-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• antic
• chucklesome
• comedic
• comic
• comical
• droll
• funny
• hilarious
• humoristic
• humorous
• hysterical
• hysteric
• killing
• laughable
• ludicrous
• ridiculous
• riotous
• risible
• screaming
• sidesplitting
• uproarious

Examples of farcical in a Sentence

the farcical behavior of the troupe of circus clowns

the farcical routine that a person has to go through to get a refund from that company

Recent Examples on the Web

The narrative the Knicks brought in Anunoby and Bridges to match up with Tatum and Brown looked farcical during the regular season. —Jared Weiss, New York Times, 8 May 2025

There’s almost something farcical about the White House with all of the doors and people. —Peter White, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025

Tonal whiplash — farcical comedy, heavy drama, even a musical number — undermines the film’s emotional stakes. —Chris Azzopardi, New York Times, 1 May 2025

In the Omicron stage of the pandemic, the notion that any large urban system could have or should have fully reopened any earlier than the spring of 2021 suddenly seemed a bit farcical. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at sense 1