humor

noun hu·mor \ ˈhyü-mər , ˈyü- \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Definition of humor

1 a : 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

2 a 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

3 a : 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

See humor defined for English-language learners

See humor defined for kids

Examples of humor in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of humor from the Web

However, Mother’s men’s line does not forgo the sense of humor and trademark joie de vivre the brand is known for.

— sari anne tuschman, latimes.com, "Mother, a go-to L.A. denim brand, moves into a new fashion frontier by introducing a men’s line," 8 June 2018
His wit and humor and his ability to suddenly, in an awkward situation, say one thing that can relax the room.

— CNN, "Anthony Bourdain shone a different light on the Middle East," 8 June 2018
McMahon interviewed Blakely, who described her mother’s passions, sense of humor and motivations.

— lolly bowean, chicagotribune.com, "On Gwendolyn Brooks' birthday, a statue of the powerful poet will be unveiled on the South Side," 6 June 2018
In fact, Timothy Leary planned to have his head frozen by Alcor, preserving his brain and, presumably, his sense of humor and unique intelligence.

— joi ito, WIRED, "The Responsibility of Immortality: Welcome to the New Transhumanism," 4 June 2018
Robinson was known around the battalion for his infectious smile, humor and kind heart.

— kristina davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Marcos soldier dies in peace-keeping mission in Kosovo," 26 May 2018
Both of them took advantage of the humor and innovation, respectively, of this group to relate to audiences.

— refinery29.com, "A Black Woman Quietly Saves The Day In Fahrenheit 451, Per Usual," 20 May 2018
Most are a combination of cheeky humor and the grotesque, and each featured on her website — rottenslimes.com — shows a photo of the product along with a humorous description.

— alex keown, Naperville Sun, "10-year-old Naperville student wants to sell you her rotten slime," 17 May 2018
Gore mixed humor and humility with his slides, graphs and statistics about global warming and its consequences.

— mike cason, AL.com, "Al Gore brings global warming message to Montgomery," 27 Apr. 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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of humor

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

humor Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of humor

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

humor

verb

Definition of humor

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

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

See humor defined for English-language learners

Examples of humor in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of humor from the Web

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
Late Tuesday night, Chrissy Teigen tweeted a question many of us have humored before.

— lindsey lanquist, SELF, "Chrissy Teigen (and Everyone Else) Wants to Know if Acid Reflux Can Kill You," 21 Feb. 2018
Advice, advocacy and suggestions are humored, at best, and routinely dismissed.

— justin jouvenal, Washington Post, "Fairfax County fire chief announces retirement amid complaints about handling of sexual harassment," 16 Feb. 2018
Flake was cordial and played along, humoring Colbert by giving his best guesses as to what was behind the redacted description of Nunes.

— will flannigan, azcentral, "Stephen Colbert steals Sen. Jeff Flake's office rug during late-night sketch," 6 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of humor

see ¹humor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1597

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

humor Synonyms

Synonyms

cater (to), gratify, indulge;

Near Antonyms

bridle, check, constrain, curb, inhibit, restrain, stifle;

Related Words

bask, luxuriate, revel, wallow;

coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil;

delight, please, pleasure;

sate, satiate, satisfy;

Synonym Discussion of humor

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

HUMOR Defined for English Language Learners

humor

noun

Definition of humor for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of humor for English Language Learners

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

HUMOR Defined for Kids

humor

noun hu·mor \ ˈhyü-mər , ˈyü- \

Definition of humor for Students

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

—

humorless

\-ləs\ adjective

humor

verb

Definition of humor for Students

humored; humoring

: to give in to the wishes of

I humored her and listened to her ridiculous idea.

Medical Dictionary

humor

noun hu·mor

variants: or chiefly British humour play \ˈhyü-mər, ˈyü-\

medical Definition of humor

1 a : 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 3, phlegm 1, yellow bile