1
as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
the farcical behavior of the troupe of circus clowns
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ridiculous
so foolish or pointless as to be worthy of scornful laughter
the farcical routine that a person has to go through to get a refund from that company
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Recent Examples of farcical
The Drummerpocalypse just keeps hitting new levels, reaching a farcical peak last week when the Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails traded drummers.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2025
The farcical character is a parody of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and has been portrayed in various sequels by Alan Arkin, Roger Moore and, most recently, Steve Martin in the 2006 reboot and subsequent 2009 sequel.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 July 2025
The Euro 2025 quarter-finals had late drama, with Italy squeezing past Norway, a comeback out of nowhere from England, and a farcical penalty shootout win over Sweden.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 20 July 2025
At the heart of her tale lies an early-twentieth-century initiative that was undertaken with absolute earnestness at the time but seems almost farcical today: a multicountry effort to redirect America’s enormous influx of Jewish immigrants from Ellis Island to Galveston, Texas.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for farcical
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2025
The farcical character is a parody of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, and has been portrayed in various sequels by Alan Arkin, Roger Moore and, most recently, Steve Martin in the 2006 reboot and subsequent 2009 sequel.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 July 2025
The Euro 2025 quarter-finals had late drama, with Italy squeezing past Norway, a comeback out of nowhere from England, and a farcical penalty shootout win over Sweden.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 20 July 2025
At the heart of her tale lies an early-twentieth-century initiative that was undertaken with absolute earnestness at the time but seems almost farcical today: a multicountry effort to redirect America’s enormous influx of Jewish immigrants from Ellis Island to Galveston, Texas.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for farcical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for farcical
Adjective
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Barkov is the opposite of Tkachuk in personality, never the one with the humorous postgame quote or engaging TV soundbite.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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The duo, who are known for their original and often humorous dance routines, will be repped by UTA across digital, theater and scripted (co-represented with Curtis Brown).—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is the most ridiculous robbery ever, Mirvat thought.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Sep. 2025
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Summarize Text – Get a quick overview of a long email, article or contract and understand those ridiculous ‘Terms of Service’ agreements.—
Ken Colburn,
AZCentral.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In a 1972 Esquire interview, the writer Harold Brodkey pressed her to examine her comedic sources.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
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The comedic cross-country car film, which rescued the reputation of the envelope-pushing company after back-to-back duds National Lampoon's Movie Madness and National Lampoon's Class Reunion, represented a kind of maturation for the brand.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This aspect will always cast her apart, even today, in the sense that a woman’s naked body is still perceived by audiences as something that stands out for some absurd reason, unfortunately.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
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Their vote to shut down the government is absurd.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Jonathan was so funny and quick-witted for such a young kid.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
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Having this really intense action scene, and then all of a sudden a joke, a funny moment.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This dance party for toddlers and preschoolers is packed with silly puppets, cheerful songs, and endless smiles!—
Sarah Z. Sleeper,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Sep. 2025
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And why that silly jacket in the middle of June?—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Danilovic, ever the outgoing personality, put her basketball abilities in a comical light.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
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The two then debuted their relationship in February 2022, first through their comical social media skits and then via a hard launch red-carpet debut at a film screening.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Characters can be pathetic, and frank about their Toledo Truth Teller’s bleak prospects.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
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Jimmy Kimmel is a pathetic hate monger.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Farcical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/farcical. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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