as in glee
a mood characterized by high spirits and amusement and often accompanied by laughter
hilarity is the last thing you expect to find at a funeral, but we were there to celebrate his life rather than to dwell on his death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 hilarity
Personal lines get crossed, among other things, and awkward hilarity ensues.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
His thought experiments lead sometimes to stone walls and sometimes to flashes of insight or hilarity, always with an un-erasable Jewish inflection.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Follow Tony and his hilarity on Instagram at Tony Cavalero.
—Outside Online, 30 July 2025
Patti LaBelle and Fantasia will soon face off on Celebrity Family Feud, and Billboard has an exclusive look at some of the hilarity viewers can expect.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hilarity
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025
His thought experiments lead sometimes to stone walls and sometimes to flashes of insight or hilarity, always with an un-erasable Jewish inflection.
—Jon Raymond
august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
Follow Tony and his hilarity on Instagram at Tony Cavalero.
—Outside Online, 30 July 2025
Patti LaBelle and Fantasia will soon face off on Celebrity Family Feud, and Billboard has an exclusive look at some of the hilarity viewers can expect.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hilarity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hilarity
Noun
-
The late Tom Wolfe, rubbing his hands with glee and spilling lemonade on his white suit, would be delighted that tradition has now taken its revenge on stuffy Bauhaus Europeanism, and maybe rightly so.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Or wait, is that an actual expression of glee?—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Her vivacious attitude connects her with Aries (Stacey’s actual birthday is April 3) due to her fearlessness and cheerfulness in situations, no matter what is thrown at her.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The grand finale of the festivities will unfold on November 10 at The Jealous Monk, where bartenders will battle it out in a Mystic Cocktail Competition.—
Emily Cappiello,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Independence Day festivities in the Windy City this year were quieter, some even postponed, under the weight of the looming threats.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Their eldest has cross country six days a week and cheer four days a week.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Jodi Kovar, a dance and cheer teacher with nearly 17,000 TikTok followers, has auditioned for other NFL cheer teams, including the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the Miami Dolphins squad.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hilarity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hilarity. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share