droll 1 of 2

adjective

ˈdrōl How to pronounce droll (audio)
Definition of drollnext
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

droll

2 of 2

noun

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
Adjective
In its absence, this category is open for business, with Rhys, so good at shifting between his show’s droll humor and genuine terror, an obvious choice. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026 There’s a dry, droll seam of generation-gap humor in George’s continued, failed attempts to insert himself as a father figure into the life of someone who never asked for one, and Zeke’s blankly bemused resistance to his efforts. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 June 2026 Zelensky then issued a magnanimous, droll decree, formally granting Putin permission to hold the parade. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026 Zendaya’s Rue works as a drug mule for the forever droll Laurie (the great Martha Kelly). — Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for droll
Recent Examples of Synonyms for droll
  1. humorous
  2. comedian
  3. comedic
  4. funny
  5. amusing
  6. comical
  7. comic
  8. entertaining
Adjective
  • Absurd and darkly humorous drama, offering an unconventional take on aging, loneliness and human dignity.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The production design is excellent, the humorous details of Vision’s metaphorical manse and the externalization of computer processes clever.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of humorous
Noun
  • The comedian’s become a regular on TikTok and Instagram scrolls for her character work — particularly impressions of her Italian father and German mother, the latter always in a black turtleneck, hair pulled back, glasses inexplicably atop her head.
    — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For years, posting clips online has been integral to comedians’ process of building an audience and selling tickets to their live shows.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of comedian
Adjective
  • Drexler’s comedic sensibility was shaped, early on, by the vaudeville acts that performed in movie theatres in between screenings.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Their ascent on YouTube included a 2025 comedic boxing match between Andrijasevic and Al-Emad, titled Hamzah vs Martin and held in Toronto over three rounds.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of comedic
Adjective
  • As the country hurtles toward a pivotal but divisive election, Netflix has done us all a favor by dropping four documentaries about really funny people this month.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • New York is getting roasted for an awkward giveaway T-shirt gaffe, made funnier by the team proudly posting the evidence on social media.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • People love spy stories, but there is nothing amusing, or romantic, about this one.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 17 Oct. 2026
  • An outgoing transfer ban as well as a ban on signing new players would be quite amusing (although utterly unenforceable).
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of amusing
Adjective
  • Two young attendees at Sunday’s rally told the Herald/Times the attacks against Nixon translate to them as almost comical misinformation.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The performance of total transparency could reach comical heights.
    — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of comical
Adjective
  • Crystal’s comic timing was honed in the clubs doing stand-up.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Its laughs are more often born out of astonishment than intentional comic craft.
    — Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of comic
Adjective
  • The company said the seasonal collection is intended for holiday entertaining, gifting and everyday snacking.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At the highest tier, palaces and soaring residences allow even more space, privacy, and room for entertaining, creating a distinctly residential feel.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of entertaining

Browse Nearby Words

drizzly
droll
drolleries
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Droll.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/droll. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on droll

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about droll

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of asunder

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All