humorist

noun hu·mor·ist \ ˈhyü-mə-rist , ˈyü- \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of humorist

1 archaic : a person subject to whims

2 : a person specializing in or noted for humor

See humorist defined for English-language learners

See humorist defined for kids

Examples of humorist in a Sentence

Mark Twain is perhaps America's most beloved humorist.

Recent Examples of humorist from the Web

The Wit and Wisdom of Sholom Aleichem New musical inspired by the life and times of the Yiddish humorist.

— matt cooper, latimes.com, "The week ahead in L.A. theater, May 13-20: 'Wood Boy Dog Fish,' 'Soft Power' and more," 13 May 2018
In addition to his role on the NBC sitcom, Anderson appeared on Cheers, starred as humorist Dave Barry on the 1990s show Dave's World and played Richie Tozier in the 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's It.

— ray rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, "What Matters in Hollywood Today," 17 Apr. 2018
Pat McManus, outdoor humorist extraordinaire, died Wednesday in Spokane, leaving behind a legacy of smiles and gratitude.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "RIP Pat McManus, a master outdoor humorist and teacher," 13 Apr. 2018
Janelle Shane is a humorist who creates and mines her material from neural networks, the form of machine learning that has come to dominate the field of artificial intelligence over the last half-decade.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "SkyKnit: How an AI Took Over an Adult Knitting Community," 6 Mar. 2018
He was buried a week later on Cinco de Mayo day, which is probably how the local humorist would have scripted it.

— phillip morris, cleveland.com, "A tale of two comedians who once made Cleveland laugh: Phillip Morris," 2 May 2018
Baratunde Thurston, a futurist humorist and cultural critic, hosts.

— kasia pilat, New York Times, "Comedy in NYC This Week," 8 Feb. 2018
Patrick McManus, the New York Times best-selling humorist and outdoor writer from the Spokane area, died on Wednesday.

— carolyn lamberson, idahostatesman, "Beloved humor, outdoors writer Patrick McManus dies at age 84 | Idaho Statesman," 13 Apr. 2018
The Algonquin Round Table, a group of critics, writers and humorists who lunched daily at Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel, counted Parker among its founders.

— anna diamond, Smithsonian, "Writing in the Public Eye, These Women Brought the 20th Century Into Focus," 4 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of humorist

circa 1586

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

humorist Synonyms

Synonyms

card, comedian, comic, droll, farceur, funnyman, jester, joker, jokester, wag, wit;

Related Words

comedienne, entertainer;

banterer, cutup, kidder, knockabout, practical joker, prankster, quipster, teaser, wisecracker;

buffoon, clown, fool, harlequin, zany;

caricaturist, lampooner, parodist, satirist;

HUMORIST Defined for English Language Learners

humorist

noun

Definition of humorist for English Language Learners

: someone (such as a writer) who tells funny stories

HUMORIST Defined for Kids

humorist

noun hu·mor·ist \ ˈhyü-mə-rist , ˈyü- \

Definition of humorist for Students

: a person who writes or talks in a humorous way

Learn More about humorist

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for humorist Spanish Central: Translation of humorist Nglish: Translation of humorist for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of humorist for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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

show

humorist

Definition of humorist

Examples of humorist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of humorist from the Web

First Known Use of humorist

humorist Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

HUMORIST Defined for English Language Learners

humorist

Definition of humorist for English Language Learners

HUMORIST Defined for Kids

humorist

Definition of humorist for Students

Learn More about humorist

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

garrulous

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

12 Words from All Over the Map

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

9 Words from the Magical Realm

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Farm Idioms Quiz

Name That Thing

SCRABBLE® Sprint

12 Words from All Over the Map

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word

humorist

Definition of humorist

Examples of humorist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of humorist from the Web

First Known Use of humorist

humorist Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

HUMORIST Defined for English Language Learners

humorist

Definition of humorist for English Language Learners

HUMORIST Defined for Kids

humorist

Definition of humorist for Students

Learn More about humorist

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

12 Words from All Over the Map

'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

Trending: Melania Trump Undergoes 'Embolization'

Ghost Word