Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

humor

noun
hu·​mor | \ˈhyü-mər, ˈyü-\

Definition of humor 

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a normal functioning bodily semifluid or fluid (such as the blood or lymph)

b physiology : a secretion (such as a hormone) that is an excitant of activity

2a in medieval physiology : a fluid or juice of an animal or plant specifically : one of the four fluids entering into the constitution of the body and determining by their relative proportions a person's health and temperament

b : characteristic or habitual disposition or bent : temperament of cheerful humor

c : an often temporary state of mind imposed especially by circumstances was in no humor to listen

d : a sudden, unpredictable, or unreasoning inclination : whim … conceived the humor of impeaching casual passers-by … and wreaking vengeance on them.— Charles Dickens the uncertain humors of nature

3a : that quality which appeals to a sense of the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous : a funny or amusing quality Try to appreciate the humor of the situation.

b : the mental faculty of discovering, expressing, or appreciating the ludicrous or absurdly incongruous : the ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny a guy with a great sense of humor

c : something that is or is designed to be comical or amusing The book is a collection of American humor. not a fan of the comedian's brand of humor

out of humor

: out of sorts

humor

verb
humored; humoring\ ˈhyüm-​riŋ , ˈyüm-​, ˈhyü-​mə-​, ˈyü-​ \

Definition of humor (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to soothe or content (someone) by indulgence : to comply with the temperament or inclinations of The only way to get along with him is to humor him. I know you don't agree, but just humor me.

2 : to adapt oneself to yielding to, and humoring the motion of the limbs and twigs— William Bartram

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about humor

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for humor

Noun

wit, humor, irony, sarcasm, satire, repartee mean a mode of expression intended to arouse amusement. wit suggests the power to evoke laughter by remarks showing verbal felicity or ingenuity and swift perception especially of the incongruous. a playful wit humor implies an ability to perceive the ludicrous, the comical, and the absurd in human life and to express these usually without bitterness. a sense of humor irony applies to a manner of expression in which the intended meaning is the opposite of what is seemingly expressed. the irony of the title sarcasm applies to expression frequently in the form of irony that is intended to cut or wound. given to heartless sarcasm satire applies to writing that exposes or ridicules conduct, doctrines, or institutions either by direct criticism or more often through irony, parody, or caricature. a satire on the Congress repartee implies the power of answering quickly, pointedly, or wittily. a dinner guest noted for repartee

Verb

indulge, pamper, humor, spoil, baby, mollycoddle mean to show undue favor to a person's desires and feelings. indulge implies excessive compliance and weakness in gratifying another's or one's own desires. indulged myself with food at the slightest excuse pamper implies inordinate gratification of desire for luxury and comfort with consequent enervating effect. pampered by the amenities of modern living humor stresses a yielding to a person's moods or whims. humored him by letting him tell the story spoil stresses the injurious effects on character by indulging or pampering. foolish parents spoil their children baby suggests excessive care, attention, or solicitude. babying students by grading too easily mollycoddle suggests an excessive degree of care and attention to another's health or welfare. refused to mollycoddle her malingering son

Did You Know?

In the Middle Ages it was believed that a person’s health and disposition were the result of a balance of four fluids in the body. These fluids were called humors, from the Latin word humor, meaning “moisture.” The fluids were blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. If a person had a cheerful disposition, it was said to be a result of an excess of blood. A sluggish disposition was the result of an excess of phlegm. A hot-tempered disposition was said to be caused by an excess of yellow bile, and the disposition of a gloomy person was the result of an excess of black bile. In time, humor came to be used as a general term for “disposition or temperament.” From this developed the sense of “a changeable state of mind” or “mood.” More recently humor has come to refer to something that is funny.

Examples of humor in a Sentence

Noun

 He didn't appreciate the humor of the situation. Someday, you'll see the humor in this. Everyone likes the gentle humor of his stories of family life. She doesn't care for ethnic humor. The book is a collection of American humor. His humor is one of his most attractive qualities.

Verb

 The only way to get along with him is to humor him. humored her grandfather by listening to his war stories for the hundredth time
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

 But beyond the flowery wallpapers with matching lampshades, dog portraiture, needlepoint and traditional European antiques was a quirky man with a wicked sense of humor. — The Editors, ELLE Decor, "Remembering Mario Buatta: Designers, Colleagues, and Clients Share Their Memories of the "Prince of Chintz"," 16 Oct. 2018 When looking for a mate, there are a lot of things to consider: looks, sense of humor, kindness. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "What is Sapiosexuality?," 12 Oct. 2018 Season one adopted a darker tone than TOS and irritated the more hardcore Star Trek fans, but season 2 looks like a return to its roots, with a fair sprinkling of humor to lighten things up—plus lots and lots of dramatic lens flares. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New trailer for Star Trek: Discovery S2 gives us a young bearded Spock," 9 Oct. 2018 But, there's a fresh sense of looseness, lots of play and pockets of weird humor, like Scott's buddy/business partner Luis (Michael Pena) and his penchant for epic yarns. — Author: Katie Walsh, Anchorage Daily News, "Review: Playfulness makes ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ sing, not sting," 3 July 2018 Social media quickly seized on the suspect description as a source of humor, including at least one person who asked if the toddler was going to be charged as an accessory. — Mark Price, charlotteobserver, "'Granny thief' on the loose in NC town. Cops seeking tips 'before she strikes again'," 29 June 2018 The movie is rated PG for some mild action and rude humor. — Elizabeth Marie Himchak, Pomerado News, "Free summer movies return to local parks," 13 June 2018 Taibbi has teamed up with an anonymous drug-dealing friend to write a fictional work in newsletter installments, and Ortberg writes a quirky humor newsletter called the Shatner Chatner. — Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED, "Judd Legum Wants to Fix News With a Newsletter," 12 July 2018 All the balls have to be juggled at one time because this provides unending humor for you and me. — Fox News, "Meadows, Dershowitz react after Lisa Page defies subpoena," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 With that in mind, Mr. M’seddi, a kinetic and good-humored 27-year-old, conquered one of France’s holy bastions. — Adam Nossiter, New York Times, "Sons of Immigrants Prop Up a Symbol of ‘Frenchness’: The Baguette," 14 May 2018 Sam humors him, reluctantly plinking out a tune on her keyboard. — Barbara Vandenburgh, azcentral, "'Hearts Beat Loud' with Nick Offerman is an absolute charm," 14 June 2018 Over his time of public service, the elder Bush has given numerous speeches and interviews, able to motivate and humor various crowds. — Craig Hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Revisit some of George H.W. Bush's best quotes on his 94th birthday," 12 June 2018 One diplomat compared it to humoring an angry relative who controlled a family vacation estate, and periodically threatened to burn it down. — Mark Landler, David E. Sanger And Gardiner Harris, New York Times, "Rewrite Iran Deal? Europeans Offer a Different Solution: A New Chapter," 26 Feb. 2018 What else can humor do besides add levity to certain dark subjects? — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "“I Try Not to Have a Schedule”: Talking Writing with William Vollmann," 20 Apr. 2018 Despite this, Mattis seems to be humoring the president’s demands and coming up with some options to fund the border wall through the military. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "No, Donald Trump can’t just use Pentagon money for his border wall," 30 Mar. 2018 The younger Lakers have been good about humoring him, at least until Julius Randle drew a line in the sand during the Warriors game. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "Long Live the Lean Years of the Interim Lakers," 16 Mar. 2018 Meanwhile, Gigi's expression suggests she's humored by Zayn's attempt to kiss her. — Elizabeth Narins, Cosmopolitan, "Were Gigi and Zayn Doomed All Along? A Body Language Expert Answers," 14 Mar. 2018

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

See More

First Known Use of humor

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for humor

Noun

Middle English humour, from Anglo-French umor, umour, from Medieval Latin & Latin; Medieval Latin humor, from Latin humor, umor moisture; akin to Old Norse vǫkr damp, Latin humēre to be moist, and perhaps to Greek hygros wet

Verb

see humor entry 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about humor

Dictionary Entries near humor

hummus

hum note

humongous

humor

humoral

humoresque

humorist

Statistics for humor

Last Updated

14 Nov 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for humor

The first known use of humor was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for humor

humor

noun

English Language Learners Definition of humor

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a funny or amusing quality

: jokes, funny stories, etc., of a particular kind

: the ability to be funny or to be amused by things that are funny

humor

verb

English Language Learners Definition of humor (Entry 2 of 2)

: to try to please or satisfy (someone) by doing what is wanted

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

humor

noun
hu·​mor | \ˈhyü-mər, ˈyü-\

Kids Definition of humor

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the amusing quality of something She couldn't see the humor of the situation.

2 : the ability to see or tell the amusing quality of things

3 : state of mind : mood … they were not in a very good humor because they had been arguing …— Robert McClosky, Homer Price

Other Words from humor

humorless \ -​ləs \ adjective

humor

verb
humored; humoring

Kids Definition of humor (Entry 2 of 2)

: to give in to the wishes of I humored her and listened to her ridiculous idea.

humor

noun
hu·​mor
variants: or chiefly British humour \ ˈhyü-​mər , ˈyü-​ \

Medical Definition of humor 

1a : a normal functioning bodily semifluid or fluid (as the blood or lymph)

b : a secretion (as a hormone) that is an excitant of activity

2 in ancient and medieval physiology : a fluid or juice of an animal or plant specifically : one of the four fluids that were believed to enter into the constitution of the body and to determine by their relative proportions a person's health and temperament — see black bile, blood sense 3, phlegm sense 1, yellow bile

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on humor

See words that rhyme with humor

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for humor

Spanish Central: Translation of humor

Nglish: Translation of humor for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of humor for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about humor

Comments on humor

What made you want to look up humor? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

memento

something that serves to warn or remind

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Autumn Words of the Day 2018

  • a-top-down-image-of-road-through-an-autumn-forest
  • Which is a synonym of fugacious?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

TRENDING NOW

  1. gaslight It is a word, though.

  2. invasion CNN reporter questions President.

  3. relevancy Ariana Grande slams ex-fiancé.

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games