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View synonyms for

hilarious

[ hi-lair-ee-uhs, -lar-, hahy- ]

adjective

  1. arousing great merriment; extremely funny:

    a hilarious story; a hilarious old movie.

  2. boisterously merry or cheerful:

    a hilarious celebration.

    Synonyms: , , ,

    Antonyms: , ,

  3. merry; cheerful.


hilarious

/ ɪˈɛəɪə /

adjective

  1. very funny or merry
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdzܲ, adverb
  • ˈdzܲԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ·i·dzܲ· adverb
  • ·i·dzܲ·Ա noun
  • p··i·dzܲ adjective
  • hyper··i·dzܲ· adverb
  • hyper··i·dzܲ·Ա noun
  • ܲh·i·dzܲ adjective
  • un·i·dzܲ· adverb
  • un·i·dzܲ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hilarious1

1815–25; < Latin hilar ( is ), hilar ( us ) cheerful (< Greek 󾱱ó ) + -ious
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hilarious1

C19: from Latin hilaris glad, from Greek hilaros
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Kneecap's reputation grew in 2024 with the release of a film, also called Kneecap, which presented a semi-fictional, and often hilarious, account of their rise to fame.

From

And speaking of hilarious, watching Tesla stock fall while Elon Musk tries to cosplay Tony Stark is worth a laugh or two.

From

The play, a gripping portrayal of a Polish immigrant trying to survive and succeed in America, “is challenging, it’s biting, it’s hilarious, it’s dark, super topical,” said the actor.

From

They’ll be performing their sets back to back on one night only with an array of special guests, surprise moments and plenty of other hilarious interruptions that will make for a roughly four-hour show.

From

And though the film is heavy, laden with reflections on the crushing indignity of surviving a loved one’s death, it’s also genuinely hilarious.

From

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More About Hilarious

doeshilarious mean?

Hilarious means extremely funny, like literally lol funny.

Hilarious is most commonly used to describe someone or something (like a joke or a movie) as super funny. Much less commonly, it used to mean very merry or cheerful, as in a hilarious celebration.

Example: The movie was absolutely hilarious—I was laughing so hard at one point that I was crying.

Where doeshilarious come from?

English got hilarious around 1820—well, that’s at least when the first records of its use are from. It comes from the Latin word hilar(is) (meaning “glad” or “cheerful”), which was derived from the Greek 󾱱ó.

Hilarious is used to describe things that are considered the pinnacle of funniness—things that make us laugh out loud, and a lot. Some jokes or memes might be amusing or a little funny, but something that’s truly hilarious is on a different level. Sometimes, people describe things that are hilarious as hysterical, which can mean “causing uncontrollable laughter.” However, hysterical can also be used in a very negative way to describe someone as uncontrollably and irrationally emotional, which isn’t funny at all (especially when used to demean women).

Less commonly, hilarious is used to describe a situation as being a really good time because it’s filled with merriment. This meaning of hilarious is more akin to the related noun hilarity, which means “merriment” or “cheerfulness.” Hilarity is not synonymous with the noun hilariousness, which typically means “funniness.” Of course, hilariousness often leads to hilarity!

One last thing: hilarious is sometimes used sarcastically to describe something that was intended to be funny but that the speaker sees as very unfunny, as in Wow, thanks for replacing my shoelaces with ramen noodles, you jerks—real hilarious. [Editor’s note: That is actually pretty hilarious.]

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms of hilarious?

  • hilariously (adverb)
  • hilariousness (noun)
  • hyperhilarious (adjective)
  • hyperhilariously (adverb)

are some synonyms for hilarious?

are some words that share a root or word element with hilarious?

are some words that often get used in discussing hilarious?

How ishilarious used in real life?

Hilarious is always used positively to describe something that’s funny or, less commonly, a lot of fun.

Try usinghilarious!

Which of the following terms is the closest synonym for hilarious?

A. amusing
B. serious
C. super funny
D. comical

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hikoihilarity