1
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the film's sophisticated drolleries will elicit smiles and chuckles even upon repeated viewings
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2
as in humor
the amusing quality or element in something
though generally serious, the novel about a seriously dysfunctional family is not without drollery
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Recent Examples of drollery
He is played by Ethan Hawke, a mainstay of Linklater’s movies, in a remarkable amalgam of bitterness, exuberance, drollery, tenderness, frustration, and tremendous artistic passion.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
He is played by Ethan Hawke, a mainstay of Linklater’s movies, in a remarkable amalgam of bitterness, exuberance, drollery, tenderness, frustration, and tremendous artistic passion.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
His ambition and synthetic public persona are the butt of countless withering drolleries.
—Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
Griffin’s front-court mate DeAndre Jordan, although deeply intense, mirrored Griffin’s drollery in candid postgame interviews.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
But his method is mostly charging into the fray, shouting battle cries or tossing out Australian drollery.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
The starry cast runs full force with his nesting-doll plots and deadpan drolleries, the color palette comes saturated in a Pantone riot of blues, pinks and egg-yolk yellows, and the tone flips nimbly from tender to absurd, more Dahl sweetness than arsenic.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
He is played by Ethan Hawke, a mainstay of Linklater’s movies, in a remarkable amalgam of bitterness, exuberance, drollery, tenderness, frustration, and tremendous artistic passion.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Matthew Rankin’s latest surreal comedy, between hilarious drollery and bitter disillusionment.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 18 Dec. 2024
His ambition and synthetic public persona are the butt of countless withering drolleries.
—Giles Harvey, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
Griffin’s front-court mate DeAndre Jordan, although deeply intense, mirrored Griffin’s drollery in candid postgame interviews.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 3 July 2024
But his method is mostly charging into the fray, shouting battle cries or tossing out Australian drollery.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
The starry cast runs full force with his nesting-doll plots and deadpan drolleries, the color palette comes saturated in a Pantone riot of blues, pinks and egg-yolk yellows, and the tone flips nimbly from tender to absurd, more Dahl sweetness than arsenic.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drollery
Noun
-
Aaron Judge had jokes for Giancarlo Stanton after the Yankees’ beat the Braves on July 20, as none of the DH’s three hits in that game were for extra bases.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Joss told jokes in his John Redcorn voice and was nothing but pleasant.—
Ethan Bauer,
Rolling Stone,
3 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Despite that apprehension, No Hard Feelings is still a carefree project, filled with humor and levity while touching on the deep universality of love, heartbreak, and new beginnings.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Bronstein’s breathless, pressure-cooker visual approach and Byrne’s fearlessly committed performance (which earned her the Silver Bear at this year’s Berlinale) contribute to a full-throttle film that depicts life as a series of never-ending fires—without losing its sense of fanciful humor.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
There are a couple of Yates on the tracks [laughs].—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Pete Davidson takes on that role and is responsible for whatever attempts at laughs there are in this thing.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Hutch screams at thugs during a four-on-one melee, and the irony is only flesh-wound deep.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
-
The irony is hard to miss: the very aesthetic that built Claire’s, the chokers, butterfly clips, glitter hair gel, and jelly handbags all everywhere again.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism?—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: Go f*** yourself.—
Eric Deggans,
NPR,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
Paramount Pictures’ reboot/sequel of the comedy film series The Naked Gun is projected by Deadline to earn $8.1 million in its second weekend from 3,363 locations.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
9 Aug. 2025
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These are the words her character, Dr. Tess Coleman, yelled out the car window to her daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) in the 2003 body-swap comedy Freaky Friday.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drollery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drollery. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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