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
-
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
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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
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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
-
The role demands charisma, vocal chops, and sharp comedic timing, all deployed within one of the most cynical satires in the musical theater canon.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The brand previously had a decade-long run at Fort Lauderdale’s Beach Place before closing in 2009, throwing lively dueling-piano shows fueled by tips, alcohol, bawdy jokes and comedic crosstalk that sometimes embarrassed customers.—
Phillip Valys,
Sun Sentinel,
10 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
-
The singer co-directed the amusing and saucy video with Hannah Lux Davis; watch it below.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
-
But the snakes also cause amusing distractions, as when python Fizzy periscopes up to get a better view of the class, and the class stops to observe him.—
Deena Prichep,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
-
Conrad is full of wordy comic dialogue that often sings in its idiosyncrasy but also elicits little more than a chuckle.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
-
There’s also some slapstick comic bits that add little to the story.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The yacht also has a flowing open-plan layout, with the aft doors opening to turn the separate salon and cockpit into one big indoor-outdoor entertaining area.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
9 Mar. 2026
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For those who teach their children about the Bible, this movie is a great way to introduce kids and tweens to the entertaining story of redemption and purpose.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Parents,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Droll.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droll. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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