as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
made a droll comment about the commencement speaker's penchant for clichés
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Butler went for a mix of serious and humorous in his statement on the pickup.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The two American stars, the reason for Hulu to be giving this one a push, are both very good, using their respective comic personae to humorous effect but not schtick.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The comedian opened the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, with a monologue filled with pointed jokes about former Prince Andrew's arrest, Timothée Chalamet's ballet comments and more.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The comedian, now in her third year taking on the role, has often created viral moments on the carpet through her quippy, deadpan interviews with celebrities.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
15 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
-
For most of the evening, the mood is darkly funny and a little ominous, as the siblings take undermining jabs and the in-laws roll their eyes.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Would that kind of thing have seemed funny at the time, or maybe a clever way to avoid a topic either too personal or too fraught for out-group consumption?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
With its limited stock and clearly comical price, the 20th anniversary re-release is a collector's item first and foremost.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Adebayo got to the line 16 times in the fourth, and the game had some comical moments.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However, like all good comic-book characters, these superheroes aren’t gone forever.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The North Carolina native came to New York in her 20s and started out as a standup comic before crossing over to acting.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
San Diego State took us on a journey that was almost always interesting and often entertaining.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Authentic and proud cultural celebrations, luaus are uniquely entertaining and, at times, simply mesmerizing with Polynesian dancing and drumming as well as chants, songs and stories about ancient traditions, legends and epic Pacific Ocean migrations.—
Ben Davidson,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droll.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droll. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
