as in chuckle
an explosive sound that is a sign of amusement
the joke provoked a sudden chortle from a bystander
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to laugh
to show mirth with an explosive vocal sound
audiences might chortle gently during the movie's amusing bits, but there are few knee-slappers
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chortle
Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
So many laurels hung around one’s neck can easily become heavy, but Mitchell has welcomed all of this fanfare with an amused lightness — a shimmy, a chortle and a fresh round of pinot grigio.
—Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 11 June 2023
Chris McMullen, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Take a look at the other top 10 nonfinancial S & P 500 stocks by forward price-to-sales ratio: Calling all value investors (chortle): Nvidia trades at a relatively tame 15 forward price-to-sales ratio.
—John Melloy,christopher Hayes, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chortle
Noun
On the 101 in my bumper-car Prius, there’s one billboard that invariably gets a chortle out of me.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
So many laurels hung around one’s neck can easily become heavy, but Mitchell has welcomed all of this fanfare with an amused lightness — a shimmy, a chortle and a fresh round of pinot grigio.
—Lindsay Zoladz, New York Times, 11 June 2023
Verb
There were no knowing winks to the camera, no pause for an unseen audience to chortle at Stan's misfortune.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Take a look at the other top 10 nonfinancial S & P 500 stocks by forward price-to-sales ratio: Calling all value investors (chortle): Nvidia trades at a relatively tame 15 forward price-to-sales ratio.
—John Melloy,christopher Hayes, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chortle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chortle
Noun
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Marilyn responded, prompting a chuckle from Art.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
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The more stinging irony here is that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping probably approved these public statements with a chuckle.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Charli’s version of herself, though, is a fascinating creation — self-deprecating, yes, and laughing at herself, but with the clinical distance of a telescope lasered onto a forming star.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
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Thank you for not laughing at us for wearing the same bright-colored puffy coats.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Something that holds laughter, gathering, and love.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
21 Jan. 2026
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But the tense moment quickly turned to laughter when it was all revealed to be a prank.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Or, just have a little giggle about it.—
Rasputin Todd,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
13 Jan. 2026
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Her daughter giggles as she's swung throughout the air, until Moore realizes that something isn't quite right.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While there were a few snickers, the photographers obliged and got their photos.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
11 Nov. 2025
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Early never makes fun of Maddie, never lets the audience snicker at the screen.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chortle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chortle. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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