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
-
Gosling and Ortiz’s dynamic — equal parts humorous, tense and genuinely moving — gives the film its emotional core, providing the leading man with a scene partner who draws out some of his most spontaneous and effective acting moments.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
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The exaggerated, humorous tributes to his legendary toughness started in the early 2000s and went viral.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ulmen has been a household name in Germany for decades, first as a MTV VJ, then as a comedian and actor on hit series including Jerks and crime procedural Tatort, and in films, including Berlin Blues (2003), and Maria, ihm schmeckt’s nicht!—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Mar. 2026
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Actor and comedian Jack Black, along with musical guest Jack White, is poised to welcome audiences back with a Jack-on-Jack meeting.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Incorporating magical realism into the comedic and, at times, poignant overtones can be a tricky feat, but Devantez and company do it with great craft and care.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Adapted from a Norwegian-language film from director Tommy Wirkola, this movie needs a director who can smoothly shift from silly to sadistic within a single scene, and Jaccone’s broad comedic sensibilities aren’t up to the task.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Accidentally running face-first into your mom’s butt is funny, no matter your species.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
20 Mar. 2026
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At work, while reporting near a looming tornado, Clark meets Floyd (played with a touching, funny pathos by David Harbour), a sign-language interpreter.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Featuring so many plugs for Chick-fil-A that one hopes the producers got a good product-placement fee or at least free catering for the film shoot, Plantman & Blondie might have been amusing enough as a brief sketch, although frankly even that’s doubtful.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
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There was an amusing sequence in this game that got a rise out of the crowd.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Getting a 50-pound dog up the ladder is comical, though.—
Graham Averill,
Outside,
20 Mar. 2026
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Under comical and combustible Cronin, the Bruins are back in the second round for the second straight tournament after missing out in 2024.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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These pivotal memories of Clark and Floyd’s buddy romance amount to another darkly comic portrait of a nontoxic male friendship — complete with nontraditional definitions of manhood that place meaningful friendships over monolithic strength — all built on a foundation of lies and insecurities.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
23 Mar. 2026
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Johnson, meanwhile, was tasked with assembling a writers’ room of the best comic scribes in the British biz.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The game is more entertaining than ever, and much of that is because of recent rule changes.—
Abbey Mastracco,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
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From crashing a friend's luau to searching for the sweetest spot to take a nap, avoiding work quickly spirals into thwarting surreal disasters…in the most hilarious and entertaining of ways.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droll.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droll. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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