Synonyms of amuse

amuse

verb

ə-ˈmyüz 

as in to entertain

to cause (someone) to pass the time agreeably occupied

the older girl amused her four-year-old sister at the family reunion by showing her off to all the relatives

Synonyms & Similar Words

• entertain
• regale
• distract
• delight
• appease
• divert
• occupy
• solace
• please
• busy
• engross
• enchant
• interest
• captivate
• engage
• fascinate
• involve
• console
• charm
• enthral
• disport
• comfort
• beguile
• immerse
• enthrall
• intrigue
• bewitch
• gratify
• hypnotize
• placate
• spoil
• humor
• soothe
• mesmerize
• pleasure
• indulge
• pamper
• pacify
• absorb
• mollify
• coddle
• oblige
• content
• propitiate
• conciliate
• grip
• mollycoddle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• bore
• weary
• wear
• drain
• annoy
• exhaust
• wear out
• aggravate
• harass
• tire
• bother
• fatigue
• disturb
• exasperate
• upset
• vex
• jade
• irk
• enervate
• perturb
• pester
• bug
• pique
• fret
• harry
• grate
• chafe
• gall
• peeve
• nettle

Synonym Chooser

How is the word amuse different from other verbs like it?

The words divert and entertain are common synonyms of amuse. While all three words mean "to pass or cause to pass the time pleasantly," amuse suggests that one's attention is engaged lightly.

amuse yourselves while I make dinner

When might divert be a better fit than amuse?

While in some cases nearly identical to amuse, divert implies distracting attention from worry or routine occupation especially by something funny.

a light comedy to divert the tired businessman

Where would entertain be a reasonable alternative to amuse?

The words entertain and amuse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, entertain suggests supplying amusement by specially contrived methods.

a magician entertaining children at a party

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of amuse

Doomed to amuse audiences through funniness or fear, maybe forever, Dastmalchian can awkwardly hover in a hallway like no other performer. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2025

What if somebody there decides to amuse himself by declaring a moratorium on debt repayments? —William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025

And the Obama camp, for example, was not amused when Biden's staffers were going around early in his first term and talking about how the American Rescue Plan was so much bigger than Obama's stimulus package back in 2009. —Terry Gross, NPR, 8 Apr. 2025

What others think sometimes irritates but mostly amuses us. —Jo Yurcaba, NBC news, 6 May 2025