as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
made a droll comment about the commencement speaker's penchant for clichés
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in comedian
a person (as a writer) noted for or specializing in humor
the drolls of late-night TV had a field day with that senator's sexual shenanigans
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Recent Examples of droll
Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
In his typical droll fashion, Kelley penned his own third-person biographical sketch to introduce what became a longtime column.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 25 Dec. 2025
As Thornton is otherwise largely silent onstage, what’s going on inside the actor’s head while Reeves and Winter share droll, existentialist banter?
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for droll
Adjective
Wilde delivers a pure-camp performance here, trying to one-up Miranda Priestly with her imperious workplace attitude, cover-girl eyeliner and droll line deliveries.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
In his typical droll fashion, Kelley penned his own third-person biographical sketch to introduce what became a longtime column.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 25 Dec. 2025
As Thornton is otherwise largely silent onstage, what’s going on inside the actor’s head while Reeves and Winter share droll, existentialist banter?
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Dec. 2025
Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for droll
Recent Examples of Synonyms for droll
Adjective
-
This is distinct from writing that is humorous, the stuff that will give you a wry smile at best.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The team of Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, and Sally Phillips sang a song that playfully mocked Rosalind, but the team of Nish Kumar and Mark Watson—whose performances had been hilariously scattershot that season—delivered a sweet, self-effacing, and humorous song that took everyone by surprise.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Candidates including a political dynasty heiress and a comedian are proposing hard-line security measures including mega-prisons and death penalty reinstatement to address voter concerns.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
-
By contrast, Lillian’s counterpart and best friend is cast member and former standup comedian Gina Ross, a sarcastic, iconoclastic, in-your-face performer.—
Lee Kelly,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The special will retell the events of the first two seasons of the live-action One Piece series in that familiar comedic Lego way.—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The comedic multi-hyphenate is represented by Authentic, Gersh, and Innovative for stand-up, as well as Del Shaw Moonves.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Levy arcs his character’s growing exasperation in a way that’s funny, if somewhat limited.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Deborah and Ava get to develop while their process, for the most part, remains the same — and remains funny.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That his hand version of Rocky could climb onto Gosling, and interact with the actor more directly, allowed for an amusing rapport to develop instantly between them.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
But Flynn also oozes sniveling self-righteousness while hotly defending and petitioning for childhood innocence (amusing hints emerge that the daughter is a somewhat lazy and dim underachiever).—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Later on that second hole, things turned comical when Garcia started carrying Rahm's bag while Rahm's caddie was tending to the bunker.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
To his friends, the idea is comical.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Soder is a comic’s comic whose sharp observational style and affable demeanor has earned him a strong reputation on the club circuit.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
-
All joking aside, this Chris Columbus classic excels as a vehicle for Robin Williams' one-of-a-kind comic timing and vocal dexterity as his Daniel Hillard attempts to reintegrate with his family by way of heavy makeup and a silly voice.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Given the final score, the announcers may have found the most entertaining action in the ballpark that night.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Maul and Devon's relationship is an entertaining tug-of-war; Lawson is a caf-loving lawman best described as well-meaning, but out of his element; and the inevitable arrival of Imperial forces (including two Inquisitors) quickly threatens disaster for both sides.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droll.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droll. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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