1
as in comedies
humorous entertainment
a screenwriter best known for lowbrow humor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in spirits
a state of mind dominated by a particular emotion
the prospect of going out to dinner put her in a good humor all day
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in whims
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
she was seized by a sudden humor to contact an old college friend that she hadn't seen in ages
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in indulges
to give in to (a desire)
humored her grandfather by listening to his war stories for the hundredth time
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 humors
Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates divided the lives of men into only four stages, a number that mirrored the four humors and the four elements.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
Essentially, the genre someone gravitates towards can quietly reveal personality traits like our humors, values, and emotional wiring—the kind of clues that aren’t always captured in a dating app profile.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Oct. 2025
There are alignments of anemia with some of the early modern symptoms of green sickness—though very few people today are likely to think anemia is caused by a blockage of bodily humors curable by intercourse.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 27 Sep. 2025
And there’s a kinship between modern medicine’s aim to ascribe psychiatric disorders to a handful of chemicals in our brains and the medical catchall of the four-humors framework of centuries past.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Restoring the balance of the humors through profusely bleeding the patient or inducing vomiting or diarrhea with the poisonous plant hellebore.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates divided the lives of men into only four stages, a number that mirrored the four humors and the four elements.
—Shayla Love, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
Essentially, the genre someone gravitates towards can quietly reveal personality traits like our humors, values, and emotional wiring—the kind of clues that aren’t always captured in a dating app profile.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 22 Oct. 2025
There are alignments of anemia with some of the early modern symptoms of green sickness—though very few people today are likely to think anemia is caused by a blockage of bodily humors curable by intercourse.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 27 Sep. 2025
And there’s a kinship between modern medicine’s aim to ascribe psychiatric disorders to a handful of chemicals in our brains and the medical catchall of the four-humors framework of centuries past.
—Harper’s Magazine, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humors
Noun
-
Now, viewers for dramas, comedies and reality shows are harder to come by, because people now have the leeway to watch their favorites at any moment of their own choosing.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
These self-aware comedies, each following women trying to leave their mark in Hollywood before their cachet expires, have satirized the business with cutting specificity.—
Caroline Framke,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Activist spirits might dismiss this emphasis on the purely sonic as a strategy of avoidance, although the likes of Feizabadi and Kourliandski can’t be accused of sitting idly by.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
There are flavored vodkas like strawberry and blueberry, agave spirits and gin.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
The other flavors will be up to his weekly whims.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
The league has conformed to The King’s whims.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Teleportation indulges me due to time efficiency, being able to travel anywhere without cost, and just the experience of being anywhere as soon as someone needs me.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Her girlfriend — a writer who understands the emotional and mental demands of creating — indulges her interests.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Filmmakers have used the Civil War as a setting for many decades now, inspiring stories of epic military battles, romantic melodramas, and even satires, from sweeping Best Picture winners like Gone With the Wind (1939) to revisionist Westerns like Django Unchained (2012).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The role demands charisma, vocal chops, and sharp comedic timing, all deployed within one of the most cynical satires in the musical theater canon.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That hormones shape our moods and feelings, wire our brains and guide numerous, diverse processes throughout the body means that the practice of endocrinology is not based around any particular organ.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Values that are applied selectively are simply moods.—
Aurelien Mangano,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Atlanta — Going into retirement, 58-year-old David White of Atlanta, Georgia, had some preconceived notions.—
Steve Hartman,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
With a cast drawn from comedy-scene friends such as Kate Berlant and Conner O’Malley all tuned into a very specific wavelength, the movie somehow surpasses conventional notions of camp and irony to exist in a genuinely unique space all its own.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
For something more substantial, Ramsey’s pleases both vegetarians and meat eaters with options such as BBQ brisket sandwich with homemade onion straws or Zucchini Noodle Thai Bowl.—
Sarah Miller,
Midwest Living,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Planning a summer trip that pleases curious kids, energetic teens and grandparents who want a comfortable pace?—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Humors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humors. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
