drollery

noun

ˈdrōl-rē How to pronounce drollery (audio)
Definition of drollerynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 drollery In both films, Jarmusch strips away the ironic detachment and deadpan drollery that were part of his signature in the earlier movies that earned him a prominent spot on the American indie map. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drollery
  1. joke
  2. humor
  3. laugh
  4. irony
  5. joking
  6. comedy
  7. witticism
Noun
  • For a few hours, the disappearance was fodder for office jokes, Mélanie Brinbaum, Nestlé’s European head of marketing and consumer communications, tells Fortune.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 July 2026
  • Poor Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are back in the mix, reprising their X-Men roles, and somehow, Channing Tatum is Gambit, like, for real and not as a joke.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • Now these artists are exploring the relationship between humor and faith with audiences that are feeling the impact of artificial intelligence on creativity and culture.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
  • Moreno then took Episodes 3 and 4, bringing his flair for humor and character to the introduction of Fernanda del Carpio, a key antagonist.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of humor
Noun
  • Resplendent in a dark top and flowered scarves, Jackie has his hair ratted out, creating a kind of nimbus around his poignant, ready-to-laugh face, which is powdered white, with shiny, metallic-looking paillettes around the eyes.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • The dialogue, meanwhile, is played hilariously straight — good luck finding a laugh among these uncharted stars — and often consists of someone shouting another character's name.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • There’s some irony with attorneys representing college athletes, who for a long time were denied compensation opportunities by NCAA rules, not themselves being paid for their labor in litigation against the NCAA.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 July 2026
  • But in one of the cruelest ironies in rock history, Berry suffered a devastating car crash not far from the actual Dead Man’s Curve in Los Angeles on April 12, 1966.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
Definition of irony
Noun
  • Back in December 1968, Dolan wrote a joking column about the earlier Lake Worth monster, from way back in 1947.
    — Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
  • Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • Following a $2 million renovation completed in 2015, the theater now hosts a diverse lineup of concerts, theatrical productions, comedy shows, and community events.
    — Korrin Bishop, Southern Living, 18 July 2026
  • So far, the comedy series has been unafraid to take jabs at current-day political figures.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 July 2026
Definition of comedy
Noun
  • The result is an incredible repository of vexations, bafflements, witticisms, and brilliancies.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • This charming witticism might double as a tagline for the season writ large.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of witticism

Browse Nearby Words

drolleries
drollery
drollness
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Cite this Entry

“Drollery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drollery. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drollery

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drollery

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