1
as in humorous
causing or intended to cause laughter
the farcical behavior of the troupe of circus clowns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 farcical
Senegal stormed off the field in protest at a penalty awarded against them before returning to beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time and win the Africa Cup of Nations amid farcical scenes in Sunday’s final.
—
Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 19 Jan. 2026
Dilbert’s titular character, an engineer working in a cubicle at a high-tech company, goes through many of the routine yet farcical aspects of corporate bureaucracy that many Americans were familiar with.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
That his was an almost farcical and shambolic attempt at an autogolpe does not change the gravity of what happened.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
An upstairs-downstairs work of historical fiction with a premise farcical enough to fuel an Oscar Wilde play seems like a solid first step toward the genre.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for farcical
Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 19 Jan. 2026
Dilbert’s titular character, an engineer working in a cubicle at a high-tech company, goes through many of the routine yet farcical aspects of corporate bureaucracy that many Americans were familiar with.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
That his was an almost farcical and shambolic attempt at an autogolpe does not change the gravity of what happened.
—Jamelle Bouie, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
An upstairs-downstairs work of historical fiction with a premise farcical enough to fuel an Oscar Wilde play seems like a solid first step toward the genre.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for farcical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for farcical
Adjective
-
It’s based on an unconventional true story from recent history, set on the British Isles, with a tone that alternates between humorous and sorrowful before delivering an uplifting and humanist message, with skillfully invisible filmmaking that takes a backseat to the performances and story.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The humorous spot is part of a year-long effort by Disney to get audiences enthusiastic about its Super Bowl plans.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the annals of English football, this shoots close to the top of the list of ridiculous moments, along with Troy Deeney’s mad goal for Watford in the Championship play-offs in 2013 and Sergio Aguero’s Premier League title-winning strike for Manchester City in 2012.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The character’s physicality, precision and comedic timing are rooted in Ortiz’s performance, mediated through puppetry and design in the same way a motion-capture performance is mediated through technology.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Best known for starring alongside Lil Dicky in the FX comedy Dave, Ko appears in the comedic thriller Drag, coming off its SXSW premiere, and has also recently been seen on the shows Ghosts and Loot.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As usual, human progress gets the sublimely absurd Herzogian treatment, with modern and primordial sights and sounds becoming whole.—
Eric Kohn,
IndieWire,
24 Apr. 2026
-
But the idea of using one for multiple hours every day, or of trying to socialize in real life while the people around me try to meet my digital avatar’s dead eyes, is absurd.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ike is also just so funny at playing desperate characters like Benny or Morgan Tookers on The Mindy Project.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That’s funny, because even though kids are on Chromebooks all day, most of them aren’t learning how to type!—
Austin Elias-de Jesus,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The manic, madcap, chaotic and silly stunt show was heavy on exposition to the delight of the fans who cheered the entrance of every One Piece character and laughed at the downfall of paper-thin goon.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
-
And so a very silly conversation leads to a series of positions that are far from frivolous.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wembanyama looked like Wemby with seven blocks and a number of comical dunks.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
All the films are affectionate, most are light-hearted and often comical.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even without Bosa, 20 sacks is a pathetic number for a franchise that through the years has included fearsome edge players such as Tommy Hart, Cedrick Hardman, Charles Haley and Aldon Smith.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
With Juan Soto still sidelined, Alvarez has recently moved up to fifth in a so-far pathetic Mets lineup.—
Michael Salfino,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Farcical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/farcical. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
